In My Life
by ACastleOnACloud
Summary: Just because Ryan loves Chad, it doesn't mean he can't hate him. Angry Sharpay, idiotic Chad in PINK!, heartbroken Ryan. Chyan and Taypay
1. To Life, To Life, L'chaim

**A/N: ** And so my second fiction begins. Thank you to everyone who read and review my first fiction, _I Should Tell You_, your support inspired me to write my second fiction. I hope you enjoy this as much, or more, as you did my first story.

Also, if you have haven't seen or listened to Les Misérables, you probably won't understand Ryan's joke in the flashback.

**In My Life  
**

Chapter One

Chad remembered the first time he had ever spoken to the boy on the pitcher's mound. It was on the first day of Junior High. They were only eleven, but even then, Chad was a basketball star, and Ryan was a theatre maniac. It had been accidental, really, that they had met on that day. Normally, the two would have kept far apart from each other, Chad being very close minded about anything new or different, like people who enjoyed theatre, and Ryan was just too confident and aloof to try and make friends with anyone who didn't accept him for who he was.

However, it was neither one's choice that Chad, who was all for breaking the rules for the first time in his new school on the first day, decided that he'd run down the hallway dribbling a basketball as fast as he could. Everyone around him was laughing with him, and commenting on how good a basketball player he was, when he suddenly crashed into someone with blonde hair and very expensive pants.

And suddenly everyone who was laughing with him was laughing at him. Chad didn't like being laughed at; he flushed, embarrassed and angry. He glared at the boy who he was on top of, scrambling off him as quickly as possible, clutching the basketball protectively as he eyed this new kid, who looked back at him haughtily.

"Well? Aren't you going to apologize for rudely knocking me over?" He asked, brushing the dirt off his crisp, clean white shirt.

Chad just glared at him. "Don't talk to me like that, drama geek." He spat, noticing the kid was coming out of a drama class.

Ryan rolled his eyes exasperatedly. He didn't get why everyone thought drama was an insult. The theatre was a fascinating place, really. He supposed it was pure bigotry, and the fact that so many homosexuals were in the theatre. It wasn't the theatre's fault that many gay men were into the arts, now was it?

"Whatever you say, basketball boy. If you ask me, you need to work on how to dribble around your opponent. I think ramming them over might get you a foul."

Chad snapped at this, and pushed the blonde against the wall. "My name is Danforth. Chad Danforth." He told the guy he was pinning to the wall.

Ryan merely replied in what he perceived was a witty answer. "And I am Javert."

However, Chad just looked completely confused at this answer. "Huh?"

Ryan bit back a laugh; he supposed idiots weren't that into theatre. This poor boy in front of him probably couldn't tell him what _West Side Story _was, he'd probably say it was some movie that Shakespeare copied off of. "Never mind. Now, if you wouldn't mind letting me down, I might not be late for class."

Chad Danforth rolled his eyes, but set the blonde down and walked away, dribbling the basketball again. And that was the first, and last, time they'd speak for several years.

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And now here they were, five years later, facing each other down in a game of baseball, some grounds that they could relate to. Chad let a grin creep over his face as he watched Ryan dance on the pitcher's mound. _Drama geek. _He thought affectionately as he swung the bat around as he waited for Ryan's pitch.

"Hey batter batter, hey batter batter swing." Ryan called to him, grinning back.

Chad made a face, and grinned back. "I got to just do my thing."

And that was how the boy who was from a world of catered meals and show tunes, and the jock whose world consisted of basketball, hip hop, and hot dog eating contests, which were followed by mass amounts of Pepto-Bismol, became friends.

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Chad crept up on the pale boy (Charlie's Angel style, obviously) who was sitting at a table in the cafeteria by himself, their English class had been let out a little early, and no one else from the Wildcat team or the drama club, who now sat together, was in the lunchroom yet. Silently, Chad drew up behind him, and then suddenly grabbed his shoulders, with a loud, "Hi Ryan!"

"Aaaah!" Ryan said, almost spilling his whole coffee cup everywhere. As it was, a few drops landed on his hot pink shirt. "Chad!" He said, spinning around to find the darker boy behind him. "Don't do that! Don't you know that actors are high strung? And I'm an actor that's drinking _coffee_. I might've _died_." He said dramatically. _I guess that's why he's an actor._

"Sorry, man. I won't do it again. But your reaction was priceless." Chad said, grinning, and getting a napkin and mopping the coffee off Ryan's shirt.

"Thanks." Ryan said, a little distractedly.

"Um…Ryan, can I ask you a question?" Chad asked, flushing slightly.

Ryan smirked at Chad's question. "I don't know, can you ask me a question?"

"Well…I…don't know?" Chad asked, plainly confused. Ryan giggled, and then nodded, to indicate Chad could ask him a question. Chad's ignorance was highly amusing in Ryan's opinion.

"Well…I was wondering why you wore so much pink." Chad asked, grinning quickly to cover up his embarrassment. No doubt there was an obvious reason that he hadn't really picked up on.

Ryan stared at him for a second. "Are you serious?" When Chad nodded, Ryan burst out laughing. It took him about two minutes before he had finally stopped laughing enough to speak. He clutched his now painful sides, and took a few deep breaths. "Chad, you've got to be kidding."

"Why?" Chad asked, raising his dark eyebrows. "It was a serious question, dude."

"Chad, what am I going to do with you?" Ryan asked with a chuckle. He already knew of a few things he'd like to do with Chad, most of them containing ripped off clothes and bare flesh, but he didn't think the cafeteria was quite the place to jump Chad. "You didn't hear my announcement last week? When I came out to the whole school?"

"Must've missed it." He said lightly. "Wait…what do you mean, you came out? Like, what did you come out of?" He asked, plainly confused at the term.

"Out of the closet." Ryan explained.

"Why were you in a closet?" Chad just got more and more puzzled. And Ryan got more amazed at Chad's ignorance with every passing sentence.

"I mean, Chad, I told everyone that I was gay." Ryan said slowly, spelling it out for the boy.

Chad's face was adorably blank for a second, before the impact of the words hit him. "Aaah!" He said, falling out of the chair he had occupied during their conversation, hitting the floor hard.

"Chad!" Ryan said, alarmed, getting out of his chair and picking his friend up. "Are you alright?"

Chad, Ryan saw, was shaking. He turned his friend over, to see Chad laughing hysterically. "Um, I guess not?" Ryan said, placing Chad back in his chair and returning to his own seat.

Chad shook his head. "It's nothing. I guess I should've noticed that you were gay." He finished with a chuckle, shaking his head.

Ryan smiled back slightly. "No doubt you should have. But you're oblivious to those things, Chad, if you don't mind me pointing that out."

"Not at all." Chad said generously. He was better now about people poking fun at him then he was when he had first met Ryan Evans.

"Hey Evans." He said suddenly, switching to Ryan's last name without really noticing it.

Ryan, however, did notice, and he raised a light colored eyebrow.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the first time we talked?"

Ryan frowned, puzzled, as he tried to recall their first meeting, unsure to why Chad was asking the weirdest things today. "You mean the time I called you an idiotic imbecile for trying to eat my basket of fake bread that I had brought in for a play prop?"

Chad scowled at that memory; the fake bread had almost chipped his teeth, and shook his head. "No. The first day of junior high, when I crashed into you when I dribbled the basketball down the hallway?"

From Ryan's blank look, he obviously didn't remember. "Oh wait…that was you? I thought it was a different idiotic jock!"

"Hey! I am _not_ idiotic!" Chad said indignantly.

"Sure. Running down the hallway playing basketball and not looking where you're going is the idea of a genius." Ryan said, grinning slightly.

Chad sniffed. "I'm glad you see it my way." He said haughtily.

Ryan rolled his eyes, and lightly shoved Chad. "Anything for you, O Smart One."

Chad stuck his tongue out, which made Ryan think very impure thoughts about activities that Chad could use his tongue for.

"Whatever. Here come the others." Ryan noted as the Wildcat team, Gabriella, Taylor, Kelsi, and Sharpay came to join them for lunch. Chad grinned as Taylor sat down next to them. The couple had been broken up for several months now, after summer break had ended, so had their relationships. But they still remained good friends, Chad going to her for homework help, and Taylor using Chad as an outlet for all her troubles, she knew she could confide in him, since he most likely wouldn't remember anything she had said the next day.

"Hey sexy." Chad joked, wrapping an arm suavely around Taylor.

"Hands off, you lout." Taylor said, sniffing and shoving Chad off her.

"Ouch. It bites." Chad said, pulling a sad, forlorn face.

"It'll scratch too if you don't stop kidding around and let me eat my lunch in peace." Taylor threatened, picking up her knife and waving it at him.

"Alright! I surrender." Chad said, waving a little white napkin around to signal his defeat. Taylor rolled her eyes and began eating her sandwich. Taylor was a vegetarian, after she had done a project on animal cruelty for her environmental studies course several years ago, she couldn't bring herself to eat any kind of meat, not even organic produce.

Chad, on the other hand, wolfed down his BLT in about three seconds, resulting in the sandwich getting stuck in his throat.

"You really are an idiot." Ryan said calmly, handing his friend a glass of water to drain down after the sandwich. After Chad had chugged it down, he got on his knees in front of Ryan, which provoked thoughts in the blonde that he did _not_ need to get in the cafeteria. "Ryan, you saved my life. However can I repay you?" Chad asked dramatically.

Ryan pulled a pained face. "How about you get off my foot, and we call it even?" he suggested.

"Oh right! Sorry Ry." Chad said, scrambling backwards hurriedly. He was taken by surprise as Troy chucked an olive at his head.

"Stop making an idiot of yourself, Chad." Troy teased as Chad frantically grabbed his head, certain that the olive had gotten stuck in his hair somehow, it certainly wasn't on the floor anywhere near him.

Ryan calmly reached over and plucked the olive out of Chad's massive hair. "Chad, are you ever going to get a haircut?"

Chad's shocked expression was answer enough for that question.

"Guess not." Taylor said with a small smile, in a better mood now that she was no longer starving.

"What is it, Pick on Chad Day?" The boy demanded as he sat back down in his chair.

The reply was unanimous. "Every day is Pick on Chad Day." They said together, completely unrehearsed.

Chad flipped them all off, pulling a mock offended face. "That is it. I don't even know why I hang around with guys like you." He complained.

"Out of sheer lack of choice?" Sharpay suggested icily as she picked at her lunch, which was a turkey sandwich. It was no ordinary turkey though; it had been imported from Maine specially, just because that was how Sharpay wanted her turkey. She liked imported, it made her feel special and rich.

Chad rolled his eyes at her, though they were friends to a certain degree, he sometimes had a low tolerance for the other Evans twin. They were complete opposites; it was surprising how well he got on with Ryan and how badly he got on with Sharpay. "I'll have you know, the cheerleaders begged me to have lunch with them today." He announced haughtily.

"So? They beg me to do that every day." Troy stated wickedly, crushing his best friends dreams of popularity. Chad was popular, his friends just liked to tease him a bit too much. He got adorable when he was flustered or defensive.

"And if they begged, why aren't you sitting with them?" Sharpay asked skeptically.

"I'm not interested in any of them." Chad said, shrugging good naturedly.

"Well…then who are you interested in?" Sharpay asked, being serious for the first time in this conversation, giving a meaningful glance towards Ryan, who stared down at his lunch, pretending not to notice the conversation around him.

Chad pretended to think for a moment. Truthfully, the jock wasn't interested in anyone, but saying that always came with too many questions. Chad didn't like questions, so instead, he joked around, as was his way.

"Taylor is the only girl for me." He announced mournfully, wrapping his arms around her neck. This broke the tension that had built up when Sharpay had asked that question, and everybody laughed. No one noticed that Ryan's laugh had been a bit forced, a bit too jolly to be quite real.

And so another lunch period went by, as they had everyday for the past school year. And no one observed Ryan's quietness after that event, except for perhaps Sharpay. And nobody noticed that Sharpay's gaze rested on Taylor a bit longer then usual, before snapping her eyes over to Ryan or to Chad. It was just a regular lunch period, with Chad completely oblivious to the sexual tension revolving around him.

**A/N pt. 2: **I think that chapter turned out quite well. It's pretty casual really, usually I'm better at writing dramatic tension, but I've never really written a story chapter where Chad and Ryan are completely at ease around each other. It was quite a change, but I think I pulled it off.

I've decided this is going to be a Chyan and Taypay fanfiction, so if you don't like slash, you probably won't want to read it. Any reviews would be greatly appreciated!


	2. Schadenfreude

**A/N: **Five minutes after I uploaded this, I got a flood of emails from Well, I'm exaggerating, but I was surprised. The thing I love most about updating a story or writing a new one is the reviews. It makes me happy to read what other people think of my work.

I wonder which story is better? This one, or my first one…I'm pretty sure that I have more writing experience now, so this might be better written, and this was also the first plot I ever thought of for a Chyan fiction…I just haven't gotten around to writing it until now. Also, due to the preference of StillThereForMe, this is now a Shaylor, and not a Taypay…I didn't know the name for it when I wrote the first chapter, or the summary.

**In My Life**

Chapter Two

"You should just tell him, you know."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Hey, at least I had the courage to come out of the closet." He complained at his sister's persistence. This was the fifth time they had had this argument this week, and it was only Wednesday. He was beginning to regret the fact that he was gay, perhaps if he was straight, Sharpay would leave him alone.

Sharpay pulled a face. "Yea, but you've known you were gay since we were old enough to know what gay was. For heaven's sake, you used to dance ballet in my dresses, remember?"

"That was when we were five!" Ryan said, blushing furiously.

"Still…do you think Chad Danforth danced around in a dress?" Sharpay commented critically.

"Chad Danforth…dancing…in a dress." Ryan thought he might faint when that mental image popped up into his mind. He could just see Chad now, in a pink tutu, doing a plie. He turned a bright red that would have shamed any tomato, and buried his head in his pillow. "I hate you." He muttered through the fabric.

"Love you too, Ry." She said sweetly. "So now, if you don't tell Chad by tomorrow, I'm going to have to tell him about your little cross-dressing expedition. Won't that be fun? I'm sure Chad will be _very_ interested to know what you were up to when you were five."

Ryan raised his head from the pillow, looking at her in disbelief. "You wouldn't."

"You'll have to wait and see, won't you? Or…you could just talk to Chad, and avoid the humiliation. I think I even have an old video of you doing the Nutcracker dance in our lounge…"

Ryan just gave her a glare. "You're evil."

"So I've heard."

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It was Friday afternoon, and Ryan Evans was checking his reflection his locker mirror. He was about to go to lunch, and he wanted to look good for that particularly delicious sandwich that had been prepared for his lunch today. Or, it could've been that he wanted to look good for a certain Chad Danforth, but he'd never admit it. Ryan _was_ very fond of sandwiches.

He hadn't seen Chad in two days. Yesterday the basketball played had skipped their lunch sessions because he had some homework due the next period that he had conveniently forgotten to do the night before. So he had copied off Taylor's in an empty classroom, much to Ryan's disappointment.

Ryan couldn't shake off the fear that Chad had been avoiding him. Chad had never missed one of their lunch sessions before, but as soon as he had found out about Ryan's sexuality, he had missed one. Would he be present today?

Ryan raced down to the cafeteria a little quicker than he normally would have. To his relief, Chad was there, chatting with Taylor, occasionally laughing at a joke Troy made. It was a while before Ryan realized he had been standing still for three minutes, and he shook his head, disgusted with himself. How could he have thought that Chad had been avoiding him? Did he have no faith in his friend…and more importantly, the boy that he secretly loved?

But Chad did seem awfully awkward around Ryan when he sat down for lunch. And he seemed to be thinking more then usual. In fact, it was downright unusual, because Chad tended not to think at all. He liked to think of himself as a man of action. His friends liked to think of him as an idiot with biceps. Not that they didn't love him for who he was, they just thought that he wasn't very smart or tactful, and that it would one day lead him into trouble.

But they barely spoke the whole lunch period. Even when Chad accidentally drank a bottle of orange liquid that was actually Gabriella's science project (he had thought it was orange juice, but thankfully it wasn't poisonous), Ryan barely had the enthusiasm to tease him like he normally would have. The atmosphere between them seemed to have dropped. If there was a weatherman there at the time, he would have said the atmosphere was 54 degrees Fahrenheit, and rainy.

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Ryan needed to speak with Chad alone, but he didn't get the chance until after school. As the final bell rang, he waited by Chad's locker until the darker boy came into sight. As he saw Ryan, he smiled, but with less enthusiasm then his usual grin held. When Chad normally grinned, you could help but smile as well. This was why it was so hard to stay angry at Chad for a long time, unless you have a very good reason to. But Ryan couldn't see Chad doing anything that would ever hurt anyone.

"Hey Chad." Was Ryan's suave greeting. Alright, perhaps it wasn't that suave, but Ryan didn't really have time to plan out what he was going to say.

"Hey Ryan." Was Chad's equally smooth reply. He opened his locker and began packing his backpack. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering…are you alright with me being, you know, gay?" It was hard for Ryan to force those words out, but he couldn't just hint at it. Chad so thick that if he had only dropped clues now and there to the reason for this conversation, it'd be Monday before Chad got the point, and then Ryan would completely miss out on his fun filled weekend.

"Yea, I'm cool with it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you just seemed a little off today." Ryan pointed out, relieved at Chad's answer.

"Oh, it wasn't that. I was just, you know, thinking." Chad said, shrugging.

Ryan's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Seriously?"

Chad pulled a face, shoving Ryan playfully. "I don't know why everyone's so surprised when I say that." He protested.

"Maybe because it's a once in a lifetime event to hear Chad Danforth utter those words." Ryan said, teasing. "What were you thinking about?"

Chad looked uncomfortable. "Yea, well…it was about you actually."

Ryan's breath hitched at this point, and he deeply wanted to know what Chad was thinking about him. Could Chad be about to admit he loved Ryan back? It was too good to be true.

"Yea, it was about you." Chad repeated. "I mean, I was wondering…"

_If you wanted to go on a date? _Ryan thought hopefully, finishing Chad's sentence in his mind.

"Did you really dance the Nutcracker in a dress?"

Ryan's responding look of shock and horror was all that it took to put Chad Danforth's customary grin back onto his face.

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"Sharpay Evans!" The girl could hear her brother's angry voice from outside her bedroom door.

"Come in Ry."

When he did come in, he was livid.

"What do you want, Ryan? I'm trying to write an essay here." She said, furrowing her eyebrows as she stared at her computer screen.

"Sharpay, don't give me that! Why on earth did you drive away, leaving me at school_without a ride home?_" He demanded angrily.

"Well, you shouldn't have come running at me screaming my name. I thought you were going to murder me."

"I was! And I still am!" Was her brother's angry retort. She sighed, and closed her laptop. She was going to get nowhere with her essay until her brother stopped distracting her.

"How did you get home anyways? I don't suppose you walked all the way here."

Ryan flushed, and looked away. "Chad gave me a ride." He muttered quietly.

"Did you do anything in the back seat while you were in his car?"

Ryan scowled at these words. "It wasn't like that, and you know it. Chad's straight." He reminded her. "And speaking of Chad, how could you tell him about the Nutcracker?"

"I told you I would." Was her calm reply. "You didn't speak to him, so I carried out my threat. Is that why you came at me like a spider monkey? I _did_warn you." She caught a glimpse of Ryan's expression. "Oh, don't worry that Chad'll wonder why he was singled out for this bit of information. Zeke and Jason were there too."

Ryan just shot her a filthy look before leaving the room, slamming the door in his wake.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. 'I wish those two would just figure it out already."

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Chad was lying on his bed, throwing a basketball up in the air and catching it repeatedly. There was no real point to this exercise, it didn't improve his basketball skills, but it was comforting to have something routine to do, even if it was pointless. Most of what Chad did was impulsive and pointless anyways. As he did this repetitive, useless activity, his cell phone rang. He winced at the ring tone; his mother had in-sis-ted that he made it _The Phantom of the Opera. _He picked up his phone, trying not to be sick at the words.

_Those who have seen your face draw back in fear._

He shuddered. First that stupid musical invaded his fridge, and now his phone. It got on his nerves so much that he had once seriously contemplated burning down the theatre at school. He might've gone through with it, if he hadn't been aware that doing so would hurt Ryan terribly. His phone continued to sing, so he flipped it open, bringing it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Chad." It was Taylor. She seemed to be in a good mood.

"Hey Taylor." Chad grinned; talking to Taylor always seemed to cheer him up. Her good sense counteracted lack of common sense.

"What's up?"

"Nothing really. Bored. I haven't gotten a girlfriend since we broke up." He used this as an explanation for his lack of complete social life. Truthfully, there had been offers, he was, after all, Chad Danforth. The incredibly handsome ladies man. But he just hadn't been interested in any girls lately, and he didn't want to hurt anyone by leading them on and then dumping them out of lack of interest.

"Chad, don't get me started on that again." He could just imagine Taylor rolling her eyes right about now. "There was no chemistry between us. And believe me, I know chemistry." Chad had to agree with her on that, he didn't know how he'd be passing chemistry this year without Taylor.

"I know. I wasn't blaming you." He told her. There was a pause. "Did you know that Ryan Evans is gay?"

Another pause. "Chad, everyone in our school knows that he's gay. He announced it last week, remember? And everyone had guessed before then."

"Well, I didn't notice. And I wasn't listening when he announced it."

"Why am I not surprised?" Her sigh came as a rush of static over the phone. "Why are you even bringing that up? Do you have a problem with people who are attracted to the same sex?"

"_No._ I was just wondering _why_. Ryan's gorgeous; he could get any girl he wanted. So why is he gay?"

If Taylor had noticed that Chad had just called Ryan gorgeous, she didn't bother pointing it out. "Chad," She began exasperatedly, "It has nothing to do with how attractive you are. Not many people are sure what causes it. Lots of people think people are born with it. Perhaps it's because of the environment around the person. Personally, I think it's a chemical reaction in the brain that causes it." Chad grinned, Taylor would think that.

"Yea, I guess. I mean, I'm not homophobic, but still…it's just, a bit odd."

"Yea…" Was it Chad's imagination, or did Taylor sound a bit less friendly now? "Hey Chad, I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait-"

But it was too late, the line was dead.

Shrugging, Chad set his phone down and began playing with the basketball again. He wondered about Taylor's tone for a while, and what he could've said to tick her off. He shook his head. It was probably nothing.

**A/N pt. 2: **Sorry for the short chapter! I promise it'll be longer next time, but I hurt my shoulder, so it hurts to type, and I wanted to get this over with. And don't worry, more Shaylor in the next chapter, I think. And possibly some Chyan, though that's going to come a bit later.

Any reviews would be greatly appreciated. And thanks to everyone who's reading this story 


	3. My Junk

**A/N: **I'm so pleased with the feedback I've been getting for this story. I think it's a lot better then my first one. I may have to change the rating, because I'll be using some dirty language later that's required for the plot. Unless the rating T covers that?

StillThereForMe: It was on Wednesday that Sharpay threatened to tell Chad that Ryan used to dance it dresses. She said he's have one day to tell him, and it was Friday when Chad found out. Ryan just didn't make the deadline. Poor little Ryan, with such an awful sister. I decided to make Sharpay meaner in this fiction than in my last.

Poppyfields13: You made me blush! I highly doubt every word I write is geniusly placed. –Laughs- But thanks so much for the praise. I promise to have more chapters up when you get back from your trip!

Jenwyn: Thanks for saying Taypay was cute :) Maybe I'll alternate the use between the two?

And yes, lm2k6, Chad is very dense. You'll see how dense he is later.

**In My Life**

Chapter Three

Next Monday, Taylor was walking down the hallway to her locker the next morning when a sudden cry of her name stopped her in her tracks. "Taylor!" A very tired Chad sprinted up the hallways and skidded to a halt in front of her. Well, almost in front off her. He sort of skidded past her, face first into her locker. He reeled back from the lockers, clutching his forehead, and fell onto his ass.

"Ow!" His loud whine caused heads to turn their way, and Taylor merely shook her head in exasperation, holding out her hand for him to take. He took it and drew himself back up. "Thanks, Taylor." He said. His eyes were a little unfocused, and he had a circular bruise in the middle of his forehead as a result of the collision with her lock. He looked so pathetic that Taylor almost wanted to laugh, but she restrained herself.

"What did you need me for, Chad?" She asked, waving a hand in front of his bemused face. He seemed to have forgotten what was going on. She hoped he didn't have amnesia, if he forgot who she was; she'd have to kick his ass. Nobody forgot Taylor McKessie if she had anything to say about it.

"Huh?" His eyes snapped back into focus. "Oh! Hi Taylor!" He said brightly, and she rolled her eyes, sighing. "I wanted to say hello."

"You almost gave yourself a concussion for _that?_" She asked in disbelief, her eyebrows shooting up. "That, my dear boy, has to take first place for the dumbest thing you've done since I've known you. No doubt you've done something stupider before, but if you have, I don't even want to know about it."

Chad rolled his eyes. "What? Can't a guy be friendly? Anyways, you seemed kind of upset Friday night, so I just wanted to see if you were mad at me. You didn't pick up your phone all weekend." He said, looking a bit sheepish as he explained the real reason he had approached her so eagerly and clumsily.

Taylor sighed. "I was irritated with you Chad. Did you really think that Ryan was gay because he wasn't good enough to attract members of the opposite sex?" They began walking down the hallway together. Chad at least had the decency to look apologetic for what he had said last night. "I mean, Chad, that's so stereotypical. It's almost as bad as Ryan is gay because he's into the theatre."

Chad stopped in his tracks. "Wait. You mean that the theatre isn't the reason?" He exclaimed, truly astonished. Taylor groaned, and went back to where Chad stood, and used her chemistry textbook to whack him on the back of the head.

"Ouch!" Chad yelped. "What was that for? I thought you _didn't _want me to get a concussion." He sulked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Your hair probably took most of the impact of that blow." She said calmly. "Now Mr. Danforth, does your skull feel any thinner?" She asked in a prim, professor like voice.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Why?"

She groaned. "Well, I can only help that the blow I administered made your skull less thick. Perhaps you'll have some idea of what tact is now. Or, at the very least, maybe you'll be able to take in less conservative ideas more easily." She prayed, clasping her hands together, her textbook under her armpit.

"Huh?"

"Maybe you won't be such an idiot anymore." She snapped, beginning to walk to homeroom again.

Chad scratched his head, completely lost. "What did I do?"

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"Ryan, you can't ignore me forever." Sharpay snapped as she drove her pink convertible to school. Her brother hadn't spoken to her since she had told him that she had told Chad, Zeke, and Jason about his younger habits. He had ignored her the entire weekend!

"Grow up, Ryan. The silent treatment is so _childish_." She said, beginning to loose her patience.

"So is blackmail." Said the quiet, controlled voice. "But that didn't stop you, did it?"

Sharpay sighed. "I just wanted you to talk to Chad, that's all." She explained, parking in front of the school, and getting a compact mirror out of her Gucci handbag, and began applying lip gloss.

"Well, once it was apparent I wasn't going to talk to him, why did you go through with the threat?" He snapped angrily. Sharpay may have been motivated by unselfish reasons for once in her life, but it was still the same old story. If she wanted something, she would do anything to attain what it was. And in this case, she had targeted Ryan as her victim. For once, Ryan Evans pitied Troy Bolton when he finally had to go through what the poor basketball player had when Sharpay had wanted _him. _Before Sharpay had realized that she too was attracted to members of the opposite sex.

Sharpay shrugged at his question. "I don't know. Because I don't back down on threats? You do what you have to. Maybe next time you'll take me seriously and talk to Chad before I have to reveal any more of your embarrassing past." This made Ryan fume, and he sank back into an angry silent state, to think about Troy Bolton.

For the most part, Ryan was envious of Troy. At first, he had seen him as a one activity guy, and that activity was basketball. Of course, when Troy had beaten Ryan for the part of Arnold in Twinkle Towne, Ryan was jealous of Troy. He had a great voice, the perfect soul mate, and he was incredibly popular. And then during the summer, Ryan had another reason to be envious of the jock. He was best friends with Chad Danforth. He got to hug Chad, to clap him on the back, and generally got to be around Chad whenever he felt like it. And while Ryan knew Troy was straight as Niagara Falls, he couldn't help wanting to be Troy, so it would be him around Chad all the time.

"Alright, let's go." Sharpay demanded, shutting her compact mirror with a loud _Snap!_ Ryan rolled his eyes and got out of the car, walking towards the school with his bag slung around one shoulder, not even waiting for his twin, or showing any sign that she existed and was walking several feet behind him.

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"Troy." Troy turned around to see his best friend, Chad Danforth standing there.

"Hey Chad." Troy said, smiling. "What's wrong, dude?" Chad had a peculiar expression on his face. If Troy didn't know better, he would've sworn Chad was actually thinking about something.

"I'm confused." No big surprises there. Chad was always confused about one thing or another. "I just don't get it. Taylor's pissed at me." 

"What'd you do now?" Troy asked, rolling his eyes. 

"Why does everyone automatically assume it's my fault?" Chad asked, a bit angry and even more upset. 

"Because it usually is? You're lovable, Chad, but hopeless. And Taylor's too smart a girl to let little issues bother her too much. And she knows that you don't really think about what you say, so you must've said something offending to her." He explained, spelling it out so Chad would understand it.

He sighed, and his shoulders drooped. "All I said was that I didn't understand why Ryan's gay when he was drop dead gorgeous. And then Taylor said that being gay didn't have anything to do with looks, and so then I said I thought it was because Ryan was in theatre. Then she hit me on the back of the head and left." He said, summing it up in a few short sentences.

"Well, Chad, you have to understand that Taylor is a very progressive girl, and the notions you have that gay men are only gay because they have no chance with the opposite sex is- wait a second, did you just call Ryan Evans drop dead gorgeous?"

"He wasn't far wrong." Came the drawling voice of the gorgeous boy in question, who had suddenly appeared next to Troy, leaning against the lockers casually, arms crossed.

"Hey Ryan." Troy said with a laugh, it seemed so ironic that Ryan should choose to turn up at just that moment. He certainly did have good timing, though Chad probably thought just the opposite.

But to Troy's surprise, Chad didn't blush or stammer. He just shrugged. Chad was very confident in his sexuality, and therefore, whenever his sexuality was questioned by others, he wasn't at all bothered by it. "What? Girls comment on each others looks all the time. Why can't I comment on other guys? Ryan _is _gorgeous."

Ryan grinned at this; his acting skills letting him hide his true enthusiasm at the jock's words. "Why, thank you Chad. You're not to bad yourself." He looked around. "Shouldn't we get to homeroom?" He asked, looking around at the now empty hallway.

"Probably." Troy said, glancing around as well. "If I have to paint anything else for that stupid set in detention, I will smash my paintbrush in half." He grumbled. He had spent the last week in detention painting sets for the drama club because his cell phone did not only ring in Mrs. Darbus' homeroom, its alarm went off at full volume, making Mrs. Darbus choke on a sip of water she had been drinking. When she had regained her breath, her first words were, "Detention, Mr. Bolton!" And Troy was very sick of painting leaves for the background of the winter musicale, which would be Les Misérables.

"I feel your pain, man." Chad said sympathetically. He probably hated detention more then Troy did. At least Troy liked performing in the theatre, and it was his set that he'd perform in front of, but Chad hated anything to do with theatre since his mother had dragged him to the Phantom of the Opera for the sixth time when he was ten years old.

Ryan shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Troy. I'm sure we'll be on time. So, who do you think you'll audition for?" 

Troy bit his lip. "I was thinking maybe Marius?"

Ryan nodded, "You'd be good for that role. I was thinking maybe I'd be Jean Valjean." The continued to discuss theatre down the hallway, making Chad feel ignorant and left out. He scowled, shaking his head. He didn't know anything about theatre, nor did he want to.

The walked into homeroom just as the warning bell rang, and they took the three nearest seats available. Mrs. Darbus glared at them for coming in last second, but sniffed, and let it pass. Then she began to lecture about the evil of cell phones.

Chad almost groaned out loud. Instead, he blanked out Mrs. Darbus' voice, giving himself an internal lecture on the evils of teachers that were crazy theatre freaks. He looked over at Ryan, who was sitting next to him. Ryan caught his gaze and smiled, looking at Chad for the first real time today. He noticed the circular bruise on Chad's forehead, and mouthed 'What happened?' Chad shook his head, which told Ryan he couldn't talk about it now. Ryan nodded, and began listening to Mrs. Darbus' lecture with patience and understanding. He too loved the theatre, but he did love his cell phone as well.

Chad sighed and a put his head on the desk. It was going to be a long homeroom period.

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As the bell finally rang for the day, Taylor got up, storing her books under one arm, and made her way to her locker. She was surprised to see a smirking Sharpay leaning against it. 

"Um, can I help you?" She asked the blonde uncertainly. She and Sharpay were friends now, Taylor supposed, since she always sat with them at lunch nowadays. But then again, Taylor wondered if Sharpay cherished anybody as a friend, or as a human being. She even treated Ryan like a dog. And they had never had a moment alone together, so naturally, Taylor was expecting Sharpay to pull out a knife and attack her.

"Not really. I was just wondering if you wanted to go out with me and Ryan this Friday? You can drag Chad along too, if you want, for Ryan's sake."

Taylor was confused. "Wait. You want to hang out with me on Friday?" She repeated slowly, making sure she had heard Sharpay correctly. 

"Y-e-s." Sharpay spelled out, literally. "And I want you to bring Chad. Jeez, I thought you were supposed to be smart." And before Taylor could retort, Sharpay bounced off, waving and calling out 'Toodles!" before she disappeared in the crowd of angsty teenagers that went to East High.

Taylor just shook her head. "Doesn't she even give a girl the chance to reply?" She complained. She thought about the offer for a moment. "Well…I guess I _should_ go." She said, somewhat reluctantly. "Just to, you know, see what she wants." She sighed. Truthfully, she couldn't wait until Friday. 'Is this like a date?' She wondered. 'Maybe it is…but then again, I'm probably just making it up to suit my own raging hormones.' As good as Taylor may be at naming every hormone in the body, she wasn't very good at controlling her own.

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"Chad." Chad turned to see Ryan Evans standing behind him.

"Hey Ryan." He said, wondering what was up.

"I was wondering…Sharpay wants us all to hang out on Friday, and she insisted that I ask you to come with us. I think she said it was going to be me, you, and her, and one other random mystery girl…but still." He shrugged, realizing he was rambling.

"Huh?" Obviously, Chad hadn't caught the meaning of such a long sentence.

"Sharpay wants you and one of her friends to come with me and her to hang out on Friday." He explained simply.

"Oh." A pause. "Who's the other girl?"

"No idea." Ryan said, shrugging. "She wouldn't tell me."

Suddenly, the mystery girl in question came up to them. "Chad. Sharpay insists that you come with me to hang out with her and Ryan Friday night." She said. She then noticed Ryan, and gave him a bright smile. "Oh hey Ryan. We were just talking about you."

"I heard." Was his droll reply. "So you're the girl she wanted to hang out with?" He shrugged. "Don't ask me why. She wouldn't say." He added quickly, noticing that Taylor looked as if she was about to bombard him with questions. "Whatever, I'll see you both on Friday."

And with that elegant parting, he jammed his hands into his pockets and strolled away, whistling the tune of some show tune song.

"Odd." Taylor said, staring at Chad. "What do you think they're up to?"

"I don't think Ryan's up to anything." He said with a small frown. He felt bad that Ryan's reputation often got marred by the fact that Sharpay was his sister. "As for Sharpay, I have no idea what she wants."

Taylor shrugged. "Is there _anything_ she doesn't want?" She asked.

"I don't know…" Chad said, trying to think of an answer to that question.

"Chad, that was rhetorical." Taylor explained.

"Rhetorical? Isn't that like, some geometry word?" Chad asked, confused.

Taylor sighed. "Never mind. Need a life home?" She offered.

"Sure. Thanks Taylor." He said gratefully. He had feared he would have to take the bus home today. He had caught a rumor that some kid was going to chuck water balloons at random people that afternoon, and while those rumors were probably unfounded, Chad did not want to wait until he was soaked and miserable to find out.

"No problem. I'm sure you'll get a car soon." She said, waiting for Chad to finish packing.

"I hope so." Chad shrugged, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "But I don't think I'll ever get one."

"Chad, that's not it. You just don't think."

"Touché."

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"I can't believe you like Taylor McKessie."

Sharpay shrugged. "Well, I can't believe you like Chad Danforth."

"Shar, that makes no sense. You believed it for the last six months. Why change your mind now." 

"Because I feel like it?" She sat up on her bed, hugging her pink, fluffy pillow to her chest. "Ryan, just leave it. Taylor's smart, she's funny, and se's nice. And isn't she beautiful?" She asked, her eyes shining.

"I wouldn't know. I don't check out girls."

"Ryan, you know that was rhetorical."

Ryan just shrugged. "That doesn't mean I can't answer it."

Sharpay sighed. "Whatever Ry. I still check out hot guys." 

"That's because you're bisexual."

"I am not! Don't say that!"

"What's wrong with being bisexual? It's perfectly alright. And if it isn't alright by your standards, how is it worse then being a lesbian?" Ryan asked, plainly confused.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Bisexual makes me sound like I'm indecisive." She said, as though it were completely obvious. 

"Whatever Shar. You're insane." 

"Hey, it was me that thought up the brilliant idea of a double date." 

"It isn't a date, Sharpay. Neither of them think so, at least." 

"Oh come on Ry. What kind of straight jock would call _you_ drop dead gorgeous?"

"Is that an insult to my looks?" 

"_No_. Though you aren't anywhere near as good looking as me, I suppose you might be fairly attractive. I suppose. But that isn't the point. Guys who call gay guys drop dead gorgeous are obviously gay or incredibly stupid."

"And hadn't we already established the fact that Chad _is_ incredibly stupid? It was you who decided that after he burned his hand touching the candles I was holding during my roll as Lumiere?" He asked exasperatedly, running out of patience for his scheming sister who had her head in the clouds all the time. "Chad is _straight._ I should just give up." He said with a sigh.

"Evanses don't give up, Ry. You _are_ an Evans, remember? And yes, but he _was_ incredibly stupid. I mean, I _told _him that the candles you were holding were real. But he went ahead and tried to prove they were fake by actually grabbing the fire on the candle. How much more idiotic can you get? He almost set his ridiculous hair on fire." 

"I like his hair." Ryan defended his crush. "And well…I guess Chad just isn't the sharpest tool in the shed." 

"Ryan, if Chad were a tool in the shed he'd be a wheelbarrow. A very dull wheelbarrow that has no points whatsoever."

"That makes no sense, Shar." Ryan said, picturing a wheelbarrow with Chad's head on it. It was a strange picture.

"Who cares? Anyways, because of me, you get to spend a whole Friday with Chad without Troy getting in the way. Shouldn't you be on your knees thanking me?" 

"I think I'll pass up on that offer, as tempting as it sounds." Sharpay merely rolled her eyes, and chucked her pillow at her brother. 

"Whatever. Now leave my room. I need to pick out my outfit for Friday."

**A/N pt. 2: **Ouch…After I finished this chapter, I stretched my arms, and brought them back down and accidentally punched myself in the head :( At those moments, I feel like the Chad I portray…adorably stupid…though maybe not so adorable.

If anyone was wondering what show tune Ryan went off whistling to, it was _Little People_ from _Les Misérables_.

Please review!


	4. I Got Lost in His Arms

**A/N: **Don't worry about the lack of angst, shall come soon enough. And sorry about the repeated use of the word 'rhetorical'. I could just imagine Chad thinking it had something to do with geometry. He's so adorable like that.

Also, if anyone catches the small little reference I put into Anchorman in this, I'll love them. I laws just re-watching that movie. It made me laugh so much.

Poppyfields13: I hope you get some sleep soon! Anyways, thanks for reviewing at 3:30 in the morning. And yes, Chad is dumb. And when I was writing about the bisexual thing, I wasn't really thinking of that…more like Sharpay is so decisive that she probably wouldn't want to be bisexual…Don't try to ask about my train of thought. It's a bit odd. But I agree, bisexuals have it hard, but I support them, as I support everyone. Except for those bigoted idiots who think homosexuality is a no-no.

And I was thinking of Ryan as Javert, but I just can't see him in mutton chops. I can see him as an old man with a beard though!

**In My Life**

Chapter Four

Chad sat on Taylor's couch, looking around. Even though they had dated for a few months, he had never been over to her house. It was a bit small, but it was very cozy as well, it made anyone feel instantly welcome. The floor was not carpeted, but showed the dark wood floorboards. There was one dark green leather couch, and another red leather armchair a few feet away from it, in front of the unlit fireplace. There were two mahogany bookshelves against one wall, and they were crammed with expensive looking leather bound books.

"Nice place." He commented to the dark haired girl who was sitting on the armchair, reading one of the leather bound books intently. Chad didn't think he'd ever open a book that complicated looking, and if he did, he was sure to not understand it.

"Thanks Chad." She noticed him staring at the bookshelves. "It's my father's collection." She explained. "He spends a lot of money on his books; he's a man of literature. My mother's always shouting at him for it; she says the money could be used for more important things, but Father never listens." She shrugged. "It's his one true passion, I guess."

Chad nodded. "What are you reading, anyways? It looks…hard." He said, gulping at the thought of reading a book that held hundreds of pages.

"The Lord of the Rings." She said calmly.

"Wasn't that a movie?" Chad asked, puzzled.

"Yes, but it was a book series before it was a movie. The movies are based on the books, Chad. Kind of like the Harry Potter movies." 

"Oh." Even Chad knew that Harry Potter was a book series. He wasn't _that_ dense, he saw those insane bookworms lining up outside Barnes and Nobles the night before just to be in the line to get the books. Chad, however, had never picked up a Harry Potter book, though he did enjoy the movies.

Taylor looked at her watch. "Sharpay and Ryan should be here anytime." She muttered. They had all agreed to meet at Taylor's house for the Friday date, and they'd go in Sharpay's car. Chad was irritated that he'd have to go in a pink car, but Ryan had given him a pleading look, and he found himself unable to say no. For some reason, he was never able to deny the blonde boy anything. Ryan just seemed so helpless at times, so overwhelmed by his sister that Chad couldn't help but take pity on him.

The doorbell rang, interrupting Chad's thoughts. He shook his head, clearing his head, which wasn't that hard to do. He went around with his mind blank half the time anyway.

"I'll get it." Taylor said, setting the book aside, and rushing to the door. Chad followed behind her, hands in his pockets. Taylor opened the door, and her mouth dropped open, as did Chad's. 

"What?" Sharpay as she entered the house. She was wearing a pink dress that looked _very_ expensive, and a Prada handbag and shoes. Taylor and Chad immediately felt underdressed. They hadn't realized it was supposed to be a formal night.

However, Sharpay moved aside to reveal Ryan, who was dressed in what he usually wore, and Taylor and Chad relaxed. He caught Chad's eye and shrugged. "She likes dressing up." He explained. "Don't worry; we don't all have to dress like royalty."

"I _like_ dressing up as royalty." Sharpay said, sniffing. "It isn't _my_ fault that you commoners aren't as fantastic as I am."

Chad and Taylor just shook their heads. Sharpay really was an Ice Princess. Ryan just leaned against the doorframe, inspecting his fingernails.

"Er, shall we go?" Taylor asked nervously.

"Sure!" Sharpay said enthusiastically, grabbing Taylor's arm and practically dragging her outside towards the pink convertible, leaving Ryan and Chad in the house. Ryan sighed.

"I guess we'd better follow." He said dully, about to leave the house he had barely set foot in. However, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. And though Ryan was in such a bad mood, he couldn't help noticing how warm Chad's hand was. "Yes?" 

"Hey, Ryan, are you alright?" Chad asked worriedly. "You seem a bit off…like you lost your middle?"

"My middle?" Ryan asked, his eyebrows shooting skywards.

"Yea, your middle." Chad said confidently. "Isn't that what you said you try to find whenever you do yoga?"

"Do you mean my center?"

"Center, middle, it's all good." Was Chad's excuse for his ignorance.

"It's not my center that's off…well, maybe it is." Ryan said, sighing. "It's fine Chad. I'm just thinking over some life choices. It just gets a little overwhelming at times, you know?"

Chad obviously didn't know, but he pretended anyways, for the sake of him friend. He took Ryan's hand in his and squeezed it lightly. "Hey, don't worry so much. It'll be fine, alright?" He said worriedly.

Ryan smiled slightly. "I guess."

There was a slight pause before Chad realized he was still holding Ryan's hand. "Sorry." He muttered quickly. Ryan just smiled and shook his head, which was his way of saying everything was alright. But Chad felt a bit uncomfortable, so he broke the silence again. "So…we should follow those two." He said, indicating Taylor and Sharpay, who were in the car.

"Good point." Ryan winked at Chad and walked past him, towards the two girls. Chad didn't know what caused it, but he started blushing. Thankfully, it was covered up by the darkness of the night, and no one was really around to see it, but for some reason, Chad didn't want anyone to see it. So he decided to take the easiest course of action. He wasn't going to think about it, which was one activity besides basketball that Chad was good at.

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The four friends had decided last minute that they should all sleep over at Sharpay and Ryan's house for the night. After a surprisingly casual night of a movie, dinner at a diner, and sitting in the park just talking afterwards, they decided they should go to the Evans' house, where they had a musical movie marathon (Chad excused himself from the room when The Phantom of the Opera was put on, though he did like RENT). After the movie marathon, where they watched RENT, The Phantom of the Opera, Hairspray, and Hair, they went to the kitchen (which was ginormous, as Chad put it) and devoured thousands of calories in ice cream and brownies.

After they had stuffed themselves, they checked they time, it was 3 am in the morning, and everybody was pretty tired. It was decided that Chad would get to sleep in the guest room, but Taylor would sleep on the spare bed Sharpay kept in her room. Taylor guessed that when you were rich, you could have as many beds as you wanted in your room, but she never suspected the truth (Sharpay had moved it in there, foreseeing that Taylor would end up staying the night).

So it was to Sharpay's bedroom that the two girls went up to, holding their overfilled stomachs. Taylor looked pretty tired, but Sharpay was too enthusiastic about Taylor spending a night in her room to be sleepy.

As they sat on Sharpay's bed, talking about random things, Sharpay dared to ask a question that nobody really knew the answer to. "Um…Taylor, why did you break up with Chad?" She asked, lying across her bed in her pajamas, which were pink silk, her belly button slightly exposed.

Taylor paused, frowning. No one had ever asked that, and she and Chad had never told anybody the reasons for their breaking up. It had actually been Taylor who had broken up with Chad for her own reasons, and she wasn't sure if Sharpay would be that understanding of why she had done it. It was quite possible that Sharpay would use the information to blackmail her. "Well…I guess it was because I decided I liked someone else more." She said, using a half truth instead of completely lying.

Sharpay gazed at her. "And who did you like?" She asked, actually concerned about a break up of one of her friends for the first time in her life. She always pretended to listen and give advice while thinking of manicures at the same time.

Taylor looked away from Sharpay. "It's kind of private." She said softly. "And they'll never like me back, anyways."

"Aw, don't give up Taylor." Sharpay said encouragingly. "You're very pretty. I'm sure that they'll like you back, whoever it is."

There was an awkward silence for a minute as Taylor processed Sharpay's words. "Thanks, Sharpay. Now, let's get some sleep."

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Chad lay on the bed in the guestroom, wearing a pair of Ryan's boxers and a t-shirt Ryan had as pajamas. He was surprised to discover that the blonde even owned a t-shirt, but apparently it was a souvenir from camp that he couldn't bear to throw out. (That camp was where Ryan had his first boyfriend, but he didn't think it necessary to tell Chad that.)

"I wonder why it's less awkward for girls to share a room then guys." He said out loud. "I mean, girls sleep together all the time and can do such intimate stuff, and guys will think it's hot…but if a guy does anything like that, he's labeled gay. Like guys holding hands would be considered gay without a second thought." He was thinking deeply, which often gave him headaches, but he wondered about why he had taken Ryan's hand. And how it had felt natural, holding hands with Ryan. Could it be that Chad Danforth was gay?

"No." He said frustrated. "I'm not gay. At all. I'm straight as a ruler." He hit his forehead with his palm. "I'm straight. I like girls. Girls girls girls girls girls." He repeated over and over for ten minutes, until his thoughts were filled with photos from all the magazines stuck under his bed. That seemed to cure the sudden attack of gayness. He groaned. "I hate myself." He muttered, falling asleep. 

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The next morning when everyone woke up, Chad left straight away after changing back into his clothes from the night before. His vague excuse for leaving sounded something like this. "Got to go home mother needs me Ilikegirlsnotguys last minute thing." And then he rushed off, running down the sidewalk, with three pairs of eyes staring after him.

"Well, that wasn't at all odd." Taylor said calmly as she sipped her morning cup of coffee. She was used to Chad's random outburst; they often came when he was feeling uncomfortable about something- she just couldn't figure out what he had to be uncomfortable about.

Sharpay just shrugged in response, and Ryan said nothing at all, he just stared at the sidewalk where Chad had run off, his coffee going cold as a blank look came over his eyes.

"Er, Ryan, are you alright?" Taylor asked, a little weirded out by the expression on the boy's face.

"Huh? Yea, I'm great." He muttered, tilting his pastel blue hat a bit, and taking a sip of his coffee to discover it was now cold, and pulled a face of disgust. "I can't drink this." He muttered, grabbing the pot to pour himself a fresh cup.

Sharpay patted him on the back. "It's alright." She whispered in his ear, thinking Taylor wouldn't hear. "He'll come around sometime."

Taylor, however, had very sharp ears, and a sharper mind. It didn't take her long to solve this puzzle. "Ryan, are you crushing on Chad?" She said with a wicked grin. When Ryan just blushed and looked away pointedly, she reassured him. "Don't worry, I won't tell him." She said, taking another sip of coffee. Over Ryan's shoulder, Sharpay mouthed 'Thank you.' Ryan didn't respond, just sipped his coffee.

"So…Sharpay, is there anyone you like?" Taylor asked, trying to turn the subject off from Chad and Ryan. The blonde was obviously unhappy talking about it, and she could see why. The unattainable, straightness of Chad would obviously torture the boy whenever he thought about the irrepressible basketball player.

Sharpay just shrugged. "Yea, I guess there's this one person I like." She said, sipping a glass of orange juice. She refused to drink coffee in the mornings, for some reason only known to her. No doubt there was a motive, and she just didn't want to tell anyone. It was odd, since she drank coffee after twelve in the afternoon.

"Who?" Taylor asked, a bit harshly. She was envious that Sharpay liked someone, though it was pretty obvious that Sharpay would be straight, since she had always been after Troy. Taylor had a crush on Sharpay since she had begun sitting with the Wildcats, and Taylor saw the joking side of Sharpay not many others saw. She wasn't sure what it was that attracted her to Sharpay, but the girl drew Taylor in like a magnet to a fridge.

Sharpay merely winked. "It's kind of private." She joked, echoing Taylor's words from last night. Taylor rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Sharpay. And still Ryan was strangely silent. Sharpay sighed, and whacked her brother on the head.

"Ow!" Ryan said, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"For thinking too much." She said calmly. She walked over to Taylor, putting an arm around the girl. "Taylor, you really should let me give you a makeover. You'd look so much cuter if you'd only let me do your hair." She complained.

Taylor blushed, and looked away. "No thanks, Shar. I like my look." She protested. Sharpay pulled a face.

"Fine. Reject my generous offer of help." She said, mock hurt. Taylor just grinned at her, and chuckled. Ryan merely rolled his eyes, and swallowed the rest of his coffee.

Taylor checked her watch. "Sharpay, I've got to go back home. Thanks for letting me stay over." She said, seeing it was almost lunchtime. Sharpay nodded. 

"It's no problem. Need a ride?" She offered, standing up to escort Taylor out.

"That'd be great, thanks." The two girls exited the house, leaving Ryan sitting there silently, staring into his empty coffee cup.

**A/N pt. 2: **Yes, I made Chad a bigot on purpose. He's going to be very bigoty in this fiction. That isn't the way I feel though, so no offense if I offended someone by what he or anyone else says in this fiction.

Please review!

Also, I'm going to go see RENT today :) I'm super excited.


	5. Easy To Be Hard

**A/N: **Sorry it took me so long to update everyone. I was really busy these last few days.

RENT was AMAZING. I loved it. Though for some reason, La Vie Boheme wasn't as good on stage as it was in the movie…it wasn't as loud. It kind of got soft in the end. And I got Anthony Rapp's autograph. Adam Pascal snuck away though.

I loved the way they did 'I'll Cover You (Reprise)' It totally makes me want to write a RENT fanfiction now…maybe I'll work on the next?

I also finished my drawing of Eponine from Les Mis. It's on if anyone wants to see it, I'll give them the link.

To everyone who didn't think Chad was that bigoted, he will be, so that was kind of a forward warning as well? He is going to be a bigot in this chapter, but these are his views, not mine.

Also, I'll try to update as often as possible, but with the school play and school, I don't have much free time. I'm sorry.

StillThereForMe: Yes, Chad is adorable when he tries to be helpful.

Messenger of Light: You should review :P It makes me happy! But as to Hair, _yes_, it is an amazing musical! I saw it a few weeks ago, when they performed it for it's 40th anniversary, I almost melted with happiness. Perhaps it was because Jonathan Groff was playing Claude…I loved _I Got Life. _But it also is very obscure.

**In My Life**

Chapter Five

If there was one class Ryan hated, it was physical education, also known as gym. He abhorred being in a humid, sticky room where the air was think and smelled ferociously of the sweat and testosterone of teenage boys. Just because Ryan liked guys didn't mean he liked their smell. He found it quite disgusting how unhygienic some of his classmates were. He also found it quite irritating that the gym teacher did not allow students to wear hats during his class.

The one thing he_did _love about gym class was that Chad Danforth was in his, and he could see the boy running around in shorts and sleeveless jerseys for an hour. True, he could just go to a basketball game to see that sight anytime, but this was less suspicious then Ryan Evans turning up for a sports event, and this had closer proximity. He could almost smell Chad when he was sweating like a pig, and Chad was probably the only human who could sweat without freaking Ryan out.

Now, on this particular day, their gym class had decided to play dodge-ball. Chad was enthusiastic that his idea for the sport of the day had been picked. Ryan was sulking- his idea that they do interpretive dance had been unanimously voted down. He also did not approve of a sport that could involve in physical harm. So as the balls started to fly around Ryan, he just stood in the back of his team's side, trying to make himself a small unthreatening target. Chad, who was on the other team, was throwing dodge-balls as fast as he could at anyone over the other side of the half-court line. However, he chucked one at Jason, who jumped aside, leaving the dodge-ball to hit Ryan in the side of the head.

"Ryan!" Chad cried just as the warning bell rang, running over to the smaller boy's side. Ryan had been knocked off his feet- Chad didn't know his own strength. "Are you alright, dude?" Chad asked, concerned. He knew what his dodge-balls could do to those not ready for them, but he hadn't expected to hit Ryan.

He helped Ryan sit up. The blonde looked a bit dazed from the knock to the head; his eyes weren't focused. "I can hear the bells." He murmured, trying to concentrate on what was in front of him.

Of course, this reference would have been obvious to anyone who had seen the new movie _Hairspray_, or had only listened to the soundtrack, but of course, Chad hadn't been paying attention to the movie when they had watched it at the Evans' house; he had been more interested in exploring their fridge. So when he heard Ryan say this, he not only missed the reference, but also took the line literally.

"What? You're hearing things? Oh shit! I'm sorry Ryan; I didn't mean to hit you with that dodge-ball. I was aiming for Jason! Erm…quick! How many fingers am I holding up?" He said, holding up three fingers.

Ryan merely laughed. "I'm fine, Chad." He assured his friend, sitting up. "I'm just a little dazed. I'll be fine, alright?"

Chad looked doubtful of this. "If you say so…" He muttered, shrugging, and helping Ryan to his feet. "So…are you going to Zeke's party tonight?" he asked, trying to make conversation. He hadn't talked to Ryan since he had dashed out of his house the other day.

Ryan shrugged. "I'm not sure. I've never really been to a non formal party before…I've never really been invited to anything that wasn't a cast party, but those aren't real parties…the drama club is a bit more formal…" He neglected to mention Sharpay had planned all these parties to be formal and intimidating, to make sure everyone knew who ruled the club.

Chad frowned. Ryan really had been deprived; for all that he was filthy rich. His sister had kept a tight leash on him for all his life. "Hey, you should come." He said quietly. "I'll be there, and so will Troy and Gabriella and Kelsi…" He trailed off.

Ryan smiled slightly. "I guess I can't say no then, can I?" He said sadly. And while his words were positive, Chad couldn't help but feel they had a second meaning to them, something so hidden and private that it almost made Chad want to cry. It was like something in Ryan was crying out for something…and Chad couldn't hear him.

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Zeke's living room was dimly lit. The television was on, and some of the boys were watching a football game that happened to be on. Chad, Ryan, Troy, and Gabriella were sitting on the couch, talking. The couch was a hideous bright pink, which Ryan didn't mind, but that Zeke blamed on his mother's horrible taste. The pillows on the couch were a duller pink, with bright yellow stripes.

Sharpay and Taylor were off in another room, talking. Jason and Kelsi were bonding on the piano bench- apparently Zeke's mother played piano. And Zeke himself was in the kitchen, baking and occasionally talking to his friends that approached him near the oven.

The party went on like this for about an hour, until someone spiked the punch. Unwittingly, Chad drank several glasses before he found out that it was alcoholic. His head buzzed pleasantly as he talked to Ryan, slurring his words and making nonsensical sentences, he drank some more punch, against the protests of his friends. After that, he remembered nothing, only darkness.

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The next morning Chad woke up, his head feeling as if it were on fire. He moaned, and clutched his head, feeling nauseous. Every little creak sounded a hundred times louder then usual. He sat there, just pulling at his hair for about five minutes, until his head felt a bit calmer. He wondered what had gone on last night. He remembered talking to Ryan, and then drinking more punch. It came in flashes after that. He remembered kissing someone…but whom? Chad closed his eyes, and tried to think back. Who had he kissed? He remembered their lips were very pink, and they had blonde hair.

_Oh god…_Chad thought. He begged to the higher divinity that it was anyone but who he suspected he had kissed. _Even Sharpay…please, at least let it be Sharpay. At least she's still a girl, so I'd still be normal._

He shook his tender head. He remembered the one he kissed falling next to him after he had collapsed. Biting his lip in fearful anticipation, he turned around on the couch, pushing the pillow away from his head to see…Ryan Evans. _Oh shit…_ Chad wanted to throw up. He had kissed a boy. He was worse then unnatural; he was a disgusting creature, something that should be shot. But at the same time, he had enjoyed the kiss. And Ryan was gay, and he didn't deserve to be shot, did he?

Chad didn't know what to think. He wasn't even sure _how_ to think. "Ugh." He muttered. Should he wait for Ryan to get up? Or should he just cut his losses and run right now? He decided on the later option, picking himself up, and running out of Zeke's house, back to the safe haven of his own home, where everything was familiar, and nothing changed. It had always been the same, and always would stay the same. And perhaps if Chad hid there long enough, he wouldn't change either. He'd stay straight, and like girls, like he always had. And everything would be fine, wouldn't it?

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"Why am I so abnormal?" Chad wondered out loud in the safety of his room. His parents were both out of the house, which was good, because they weren't going to interrogate him about his drunkenness.

He growled, punching his mattress that he was sitting on. He knelt down on the floor and began searching for his Playboy magazines. He found a few of them, and stared at the women inside of them. He felt nothing. Absolutely nothing, like he had before. He tossed them to the floor and collapsed on his bed, grasping his hair with his hands.

How was it possible that he was turning gay? Had he always been gay? But he had always loved girls before. He had dreamt about them, had imagined himself doing dirty activities with them, and had always had a tent in his pants as the result. And yet his first kiss had gone to a _boy_, and now Chad seemed to have no interest in women at all.

"Why couldn't it have been Sharpay?" He asked his ceiling gloomily. "I mean, kissing her would be _awful_, but it'd still be_ normal_._I'd_ still be normal." He felt tears pricking the back of his eyes, and he wiped them away angrily. "Why am I getting so worked up about this? I'm straight!" He announced angrily to the room.

"I am, aren't I?"

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The next day, Chad was a bit uncomfortable around Ryan, who didn't have the faintest clue why. It was odd, Chad observed, that Ryan seemed to have forgotten about the kiss completely. Perhaps Ryan had been even more drunk then Chad had been at the time. Or maybe it meant nothing to Ryan? Chad couldn't even remember much about the kiss. He didn't know if it had been him or Ryan who had insinuated it. But he had kissed a blonde with pink lips, and Ryan had been next to him. So why was Ryan pretending it hadn't happened?

Chad didn't know the reason, but he couldn't bring himself to ask the skinnier boy next to him during homeroom. Perhaps Ryan had the right idea, and ignoring what had happened between them was the best way to go. But still…Ryan was gay, and everyone knew that. So what did Ryan have to lose by denying they had kissed? Unless he simply didn't like Chad…but then again, Chad was his friend. Ryan could confide in him, and tell him the kiss had been a moment of drunken party fun, and nothing more, and the two guys would go back on with their lives. Why torture Chad in this manner?

So after homeroom, when Chad zoomed out of the classroom to go to the bathroom, Ryan only looked after his friend in mild concern, having no idea what was going through the jock's mind.

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"Have you seen Chad around lately?" Troy asked as he sat down next to Gabriella in the cafeteria the next day. His girlfriend shook her head, Taylor shrugged, Sharpay bit her lip, and Ryan muttered a quiet 'no'. "Weird…I don't think I've seen him around all day, he kind of disappeared after homeroom." Troy said, scrunching up his face in thought.

"I'm sure he's fine, Troy." Gabriella reassured, taking a bite of mashed potatoes. "I think my mom packed you an extra brownie, so just forget your troubles." She added with a smile, passing him the delicious treat wrapped in Kirkland food wrap. Troy smiled at her gratefully, before drawing her close and kissing her deeply. The two seemed to forget their surroundings as everyone just stared at them, trying not to laugh.

As Troy broke the kiss, he noticed everyone staring at them, giggling. "What's so funny?" He asked, offended. Everyone just shook their heads.

"It's just you two are so cute together." Ryan explained, taking a sip from his juice box.

Troy and Gabriella blushed simultaneously. "I'm sure we can find someone who looks cute with _you_, Mr. Evans." She teased, knowing that Ryan was still single.

"You make it sound like such a _challenge_." Ryan said, grinning at the dark haired girl. At this precise moment, Chad Danforth came running up, sitting in the only seat that was available; the one next to Ryan.

"Sorry I'm late." He said breathlessly. "I was busy." Though he'd never admit it, he had been having a self on self argument about his sexual identity crisis, and had lost track of time. He had also cut a couple of classes, though it wasn't like he cared, to just think about the issue. The fact that he might be gay deeply disturbed and irritated him.

Gabriella and Troy grinned. "Why not _Chad_?" Troy said teasingly.

"Why, what a brilliant idea, Troy." Gabriella said, knowing that Chad wouldn't mind getting teased. He was so comfortable in his own skin that their teasing never bothered him. But she wasn't to know what had changed within Chad. So instead of being amused, he scowled.

"What about me?" He snapped. His friends, however, didn't see the danger signs.

"You and Ryan would be _such_ a cute couple." Gabriella said, giggling. Even Ryan grinned- he didn't mind getting teased, and if he acted uncomfortable, the others would notice something suspicious.

Chad merely glowered. "Cut it out." He growled.

Troy winked at Gabriella. "But you two are just so perfect." He crooned at the two of them, as Sharpay and Taylor began chanting, "Chad and Ry-an sitting in a tree…"

Ryan decided to get in on the joke as well; he joking wrapped an arm around Chad's shoulder, drawing the darker boy closer. "They're just jealous of what we have, aren't they, Chad?" He said teasingly.

"Don't touch me, you fag!"

The effects of Chad's words were instantaneous. Taylor and Sharpay stopped chanting, and both looked deeply shocked and hurt. Troy and Gabriella looked completely surprised at their friend's outburst, and angry.

And Ryan had let go of Chad as if he were a hot potato, and looked as if he had been turned to ice. His expression of complete disbelief was etched in his face so deeply it looked as if it would never come off. And Chad slapped his hands over his mouth, as if he couldn't believe what he had just said either.

"Oh Ryan, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it, I swear!" Chad began rambling out an apology, but it just went over Ryan, he didn't even hear it through his numb disbelief. He just stood up, and walked out of the cafeteria without a look back, as if he were a ghost.

Sharpay stood up, glaring at Chad, and followed her twin at a fast pace. Taylor immediately followed her, and Gabriella immediately followed Taylor, gesturing for Troy to follow her. Troy looked at Chad in confusion, and opened his mouth, as if he was about to say something. But Gabriella called him again, and he closed his jaw, rushing out of the cafeteria.

And Chad sat at the table alone, his head in his hands. _What have I done?_

**A/N pt. 2: **Oooh, the angst. Don't worry, more Taypay in the next chapter. By the way, they didn't do anything that significant at Zeke's party, so I won't write that again in another person's point of view.

But poor Ryan. I felt so bad for him, but I had known I was going to do something like this since the story idea popped up into my head…


	6. If You Were Gay

**A/N: **I love reviews. I love books. I love my iPod and musical theatre songs.

I hate putting off this story because of school. I hate stupid sniffling colds that prevent me from singing. And I hate chemistry labs, my crappy writing, and my terrible artwork.

I loved how everyone liked how I added in _I Can Hear the Bells_. I liked the Broadway musical better then the movie though. –Scowls- The movie cut out _In the Big Dollhouse _and _Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now. _They'retwo of my favorite songs.

But seriously, reviews help me write faster. And it's a strange trend…for some reason, I can't get more then eight reviews on any one chapter…weird.

The Singing FreAK: I sing that in the streets all the time too. It's fun to spontaneously burst into song, isn't it?

StillThereForMe: I'm blushing from all the praise you give me. But thanks so much! It really inspires me to write! And I love your stories as well!

Writer11bee: I added Sharpay's slap in here for you. And the movie of RENT is amazing. Do you know the way to Santa Fe? You know, tumbleweeds, prairie dogs…

Phoenix II: Awesome job catching the Anchorman reference in chapter four.

**In My Life**

Chapter Six

"Ryan!" The boy didn't stop. "Ryan!!" Once again, there was no response from the blonde boy to his sister's cries for him to stop. She tried to run up to him, but almost twisted an ankle- it's a very bad idea to try to sprint in high heels. "Ryan, please stop!" Sharpay's desperate cry for her brother echoed throughout the empty hallway. If anyone had been listening, they would have thought Sharpay was the one whose heart was now confetti, but in fact, her brother was the one who should have been crying out.

But he didn't. He couldn't force those tears out, no matter how much it hurt inside. He desperately wanted to feel something besides the terrible numbness filling his soul, to be able to do something, _anything_. But nothing came to him. If he could cry, to let his emotions out in sobs and brine water, he would have. It would have felt so much better to scream and choke out his grief to the world, to have the people watching on take pity on his wretched form, but something was holding these reactions inside. His chest felt strangely constricted; it was getting hard to breath. He wanted to stop walking, to turn back and hug his sister, to confide in her every shred of pain he felt inside- but his body wouldn't obey him.

And so he walked onwards, filled with that terrible nothingness, until Sharpay finally caught up and stopped him. He stopped walking, but he didn't even look at his twin, or speak to her. A few moments after she arrived, Taylor, Gabriella, and Troy followed. They all stopped, and for a second, they were all silent, basking in the coldness that seemed to emanate from Ryan.

"Ryan…" Troy said slowly. "I'm sure Chad didn't mean what he said. I've known Chad since forever- he never explodes like that. I don't know why he did, but obviously something bothered him so much, and he took it out on you…So please, I'm sure he regrets it terribly…" 

"And I don't?" Ryan asked suddenly. His voice was cracking with every word that he forced out from his closed throat. "Do you think I don't regret what he said?"

Troy looked taken aback. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. Luckily, Sharpay took control of the conversation, using her skills at ordering people around to protect the world from seeing her brother's distress right now. If she was loud enough, she could defend him from anyone who dared attack him.

"Exactly. How is my brother supposed to feel when one of his best friends who _accepted_ him for what he is just called him _that?_" She spat angrily. It was more than Ryan's feelings that made her angry, and while that played a big part, as a lesbian, she also took the word Chad had uttered as a personal insult.

Troy bit his lit, and Gabriella looked at the floor. It was Taylor who responded to Sharpay. "Exactly. It shouldn't matter what sexuality people are, as long as they're decent humans, who cares if they like the opposite sex? And Ryan is _way_ more then a decent person- he's one of the kindest, greatest people I've ever met." Ryan gave her a small smile at this. "And if he- or I- decide we like our own sex, so be it." As she said this, she put her arms around Sharpay's neck and gave her a small peck on the cheek.

This caused Troy's jaw to drop, Gabriella to look confused for a second before smiling, and Sharpay Evans to blush for the first time in her life before kissing Taylor back.

"You two?" Gabriella asked, raising her eyebrows. She approved, her smile indicated that, she just wanted to be crystal clear on the subject. When they both nodded, she grinned, and congratulated them. Troy just shook his head and shrugged.

Sharpay cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but it's my _brother_ we need to worry about." She snapped. She looked at Taylor, who wore a mildly offended expression at what Sharpay had just said. "I'll make it up to you later." She promised. "But _I_ for one am not ready to forgive him yet." 

Taylor shook her head. "Neither am I. Not until he proves he's sorry."

Gabriella frowned. "It isn't about whether you two are ready to forgive him. Ryan, can you ever forgive Chad?" She said to the blonde, looking up at him nervously.

He didn't respond for several seconds. "I don't know…" He said softly. "I don't know if I can. Even if I said I did, I'd still be hurt inside…I don't think I can even face him right now without crying…or perhaps even hurting him physically. And I don't want to do that. I think it's best if I don't see him around anymore."

Troy opened his mouth to defend his best friend, but Gabriella clapped her hand over his lips. She shook her head at him, and turned back to Ryan. "If that's how you feel." She looked around; people were starting to flood the hallways again. "We'd better go to class now." And with that, they separated, leaving Ryan alone with his scattered thoughts and broken heart.

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The next day, Sharpay went up to Chad, and slapped him with full force across his face. He stumbled back against the lockers, hard; Sharpay was much stronger than she looked.

"Don't you _ever_ speak to my brother again!" She hissed angrily. "How could you even _think_ that word, not to mention speaking it to him! Don't you know how _sensitive_ Ryan is? You of all people should know that his façade of coldness is an _act_. Everything in his life was an _act_ before he met you! That's the only time he's ever let his guard around anyone but me. And look what you did to him! I wouldn't blame him if he ever opened up to anyone but me again." She spat at him.

But Chad only heard one part of that lecture. "Wait…why did he let his guard down around me?"

This resulted in another slap of the face, on his other cheek. Chad winced; his jaw was going to be very bruised.

"It's none of your business." Sharpay growled, turning pink with anger and vexation. "Just you – keep – away – from – Ryan." She said, emphasizing her meaning by poking him in the chest with every word she spat out. And with that, she turned her back on the boy, and walked away without a backward glance.

Chad stood there, rubbing his cheek. He had really managed to screw this situation up, hadn't he?

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For the next several days Chad tried to apologize to Ryan, but the boy always ignored him coldly, and Chad eventually gave up trying to speak to him, but whenever Ryan entered a room Chad was in, the darker boy's head would droop down, and he would fall silent. Even Chad's hair seemed less puffy, as if his worries and grief was weighing each strand of hair down.

Even Taylor ignored the boy nowadays, and Gabriella also did so at Taylor's request. And Sharpay barely spoke to him after she had approached him the next day to slap him across the face. She treated Chad worse then ever, as if he were worse than a heap of manure. And Chad felt worse than dung. Even Troy didn't speak to him, since every time the Wildcat playmaker looked as if he were about to go speak to Troy, Sharpay would hold him back, giving him a furious lecture. And Kelsi had found out about the event, and she prevented Jason from talking to Chad. Zeke followed Sharpay's lead and ignored the jock as well. So Chad was alone in the world.

He was completely ostracized. Since he was no longer in the popular loop, the cheerleaders didn't even flirt with him anymore. Not that he really minded, since he wasn't really into girls anymore, but some company would have been nice. But the whole school had found out that Sharpay was furious with Chad, and no one wanted to get on Sharpay's bad side.

So that day he ate lunch in a small corner of the cafeteria overshadowed by the balcony, without a table, sitting on a single chair with no one around him. He felt more miserable then he had ever felt before. It wasn't only because he had no one to hang out with anymore, though that played a part in his depression, but he actually felt for Ryan more then he cared about his own pain. He had never seen the blonde so upset or angry. Even when Sharpay had tossed him out like trash for Troy Bolton, he had forgiven her and taken her back as his best friend once the whole summer fiasco was over. So Chad must've really hurt him, since Ryan wouldn't even acknowledge Chad nowadays. He must be seriously hurting inside.

Chad sighed. He had never really prioritized anyone above himself before. Maybe he had cared about basketball a bit more then himself at times, but Chad lived for basketball. But with Ryan, it was a completely new thing. Chad did _not_ live for Ryan, did he? Because if he lived for Ryan, it probably meant he felt something akin to love for the boy...and Chad Danforth did _not_ love men. He was straight. And that was all there was to it. Sure, maybe he didn't like girls, but maybe he just wasn't interested in sex at all. Chad wondered if there was any such thing as a male nun.

He sighed, and got up, his lunch untouched. He hadn't really been hungry in the first place.

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Chad left the cafeteria twenty minutes before lunch period ended. He didn't have anyone to talk to, so he thought he'd wander around aimlessly for a bit. Suddenly, someone grabbed him by his arm, and he was pulled into another corridor from the main hallway. He was confused as to whom it was dragging him into the corridor, but his heart leaped as he saw a bright blue hat on the person's head. Could it be Ryan ready to forgive him?

His heart dropped back down to see that it was Troy Bolton standing there, not Ryan Evans. He raised his hands up as a gesture of defeat. "If you're going to hit me, Sharpay's already done that."

Troy looked sheepish. "I'm not going to hit you." He assured his best friend. "I just wanted to talk…about what you said."

Chad looked away pointedly. "Why are you wearing one of Ryan Evans' hats?" He inquired, trying to avoid the question. It didn't work. From the way Troy raised his eyebrows, the conversation was far from over.

But Troy decided to toss Chad a bone. "Ryan gave it to me as a present. He said since I was a member of the drama club now, I needed an audition hat." He explained. "He said the blue would bring out my eyes. I suppose he knows about those things." Troy stated, watching for Chad's reaction.

Chad raised his eyebrows to match Troy's. "Are auditions today?" He asked slowly. When Troy nodded, he looked confused. "Weird. I didn't hear Mrs. Darbus rant on about auditions like usual today."

Troy merely laughed. "Dude, you just weren't listening. You've been so out of it these last few days." He stopped chuckling at that, and looked serious. "Even before that…happened, you seemed kind of off…what's that matter? You know I am your best friend, Chad."

Chad just looked uncomfortable. "I am really sorry I said that to Ryan. I didn't mean it, I wasn't thinking- Don't laugh!" he said angrily when Troy snickered at these words. "But I can't tell you why I said it. I'm not even sure myself…" He shrugged, and Troy frowned.

"Are you sure, Chad? Because I know you, and I know that'd it'd take a lot to irritate you enough to call Ryan something so horrible when he was only joking with you." Troy said, lecturing the bigger boy in front of him. Chad just winced at Troy's words, and looked down at the floor like an ashamed puppy.

"I know thinking isn't your specialty, Chad." Troy continued, ignoring the glare Chad shot at him at these words- he was really getting sick of people telling him that, "But sometimes you have to know when to control yourself. Look what you got into this time. And next time it could be a lot worse, especially if you insult someone important."

"I'm never going to meet someone important-" Chad began to protest, but Troy cut him off.

"So are you saying Ryan isn't important to you?" He asked abruptly, leaving Chad speechless.

"Of course not! Ryan is- he's- he's very important to me!" Chad said, trying not to blush- and failing dismally. 

Troy only raised his eyebrows even higher up- Chad thought they might disappear under his sparkling blue hat. "You know Chad, if you were gay…" He began, but shut up when Chad just covered his ears. Troy shook his head exasperatedly. "Fine. Try to ignore it Chad. But just know…if you were gay, that'd be okay. And I'd still be your friend, and so would everyone else. But denying your feelings isn't healthy- it shortens your lifespan you know."

Chad laughed. "Who told you that interesting tidbit?" He asked.

Troy grinned back. "Gabriella did. But hey, it's useful to know, isn't it?" He winked at his best friend. 

"Well, I better go. If Sharpay knew I was talking to you…I told her I went to the bathroom." Troy waved, and walked off, leaving a plotting Chad. He was forming a plan to get Ryan to forgive him. And the first step was to ask a certain teacher a favor…

**A/N:** Hm, I'm planning to buy tickets to _A Chorus Line_. I love the song _Nothing_. It's such a good song. Anyways, last chapter title was dedicated to _Hair_. I saw a photo of Jonathan Groff in his hair costume in a magazine and pretty much freaked out. And right now, I'm listening to _Easy to Be Hard._

Please review! It'll help me write and update faster. Tootles!


	7. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

**A/N: **I finally realized how to reply to reviews without putting them in this author's note. Yes, I know I'm oblivious. It took me like, a month to notice the reply button, but then again, I did walk past a building that was on fire and didn't notice. I just get caught up thinking about things sometimes.

Anyways, I should probably be doing my mass amount of homework instead of writing this…but…I'm almost as bad with homework as Chad is.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter!

I'm seriously contemplating getting a livejournal…

**In My Life**

Chapter Seven

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

Ryan rushed over to the callback list. The last time his sister had screamed like that was when Troy and Gabriella had gotten onto the musical callbacks for their roles of Arnold and Minnie. Ryan remembered that day very clearly.

"_Callback?! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Sharpay screamed at the top of her lungs, beginning to fan herself wildly. Ryan leaned over her shoulder and read the callback list aloud._

"_Callback for rolls Arnold and Minnie, next Thursday 3:30 pm. Ryan and Sharpay Evans. Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton." He said slowly._

_Sharpay immediately stamped her foot, waving her hands in the air. "Is this some kind of joke?" She asked hysterically. "They didn't even audition!"_

_  
Ryan, however, took a different view on this. "Maybe we're being Punk'd!" He said optimistically. Sharpay gave him a quizzical look._

"_What?"_

_He grinned at her. "Maybe we're being filmed right now! Maybe we'll get to met Ashton!" He gasped, grabbing her hand excitedly._

"_Oh shut up Ryan!" She hissed at her brother, who was immediately put down. Being the more optimistic twin wasn't an easy job. It was at that point that Chad and the jocks came over to see what the matter was._

_Chad…_

Ryan shook his head angrily. _Do you like thinking about him?_ He asked himself furiously. _Do you like feeling heartbroken? Move on with your life, Evans._ He scowled, and moved forward to read the callback list, but Sharpay threw a hand back, catching him in the chest, preventing him from getting close enough to read.

"You really don't want to see that." She said slowly, covering up a name with her free hand. Ryan rolled his blue eyes with impatience. His sister was as stubborn as a mule, albeit a mule with good fashion sense.

"What is it, Sharpay? Did Troy get my role, or something?" He asked, thoroughly exasperated. His efforts in trying to suppress his feelings for Chad wore out his patience, and he found since he had gotten angry at Chad, he lost his temper very quickly now.

"Worse." She said gravely. Ryan tried to imagine what could be worse then Troy getting his role. Did Gabriella get Sharpay's role? But if that was it, she would be having a hissy fit right now, not covering up the name from him with steel determination.

The doors to the school opened, and Troy and Gabriella, with the rest of the jocks, came in. "Is the callback list up?" Troy asked, Gabriella and him coming over to Ryan and Sharpay. Sharpay nodded, but didn't move her hand.

"Yes, but there's bad news." She said darkly. Ryan just rolled his eyes again.

"Sharpay, I'm not a child. I'm sure I can deal with whatever is on that list." He snapped. Sharpay flinched- she had only been trying to help- and slowly removed her hand away from the list. There were several gasps from the people huddled around the list.

Gabriella and Taylor looked furious. Ryan was very quiet all of a sudden, and Troy had a big grin on his face. "He did it! I don't believe it! He's finally taking action! I'm so proud of him." He looked like a father proud of his first born child.

Sharpay looked at him like he was a bug, but Gabriella got to it first. "Troy, you can't just forgive him because he auditioned for the musical! We don't even know if he did it to apologize. Maybe Mrs. Darbus forced him into it!" She said, while Sharpay moved over to Taylor and began stroking her hair.

Troy looked downcast. "But he is sorry…what he said yesterday and this shows that he's really upset." He explained. But too late, he realized his slip up.

Sharpay eyed him coldly. "You talked to him yesterday?" She asked quietly, and coldly.

"Er…only for a few minutes." Troy stuttered. Sharpay really was an intimidating figure. But instead of ripping out his throat, she merely rolled her eyes.

"I should've known you're too loyal to Chad to leave him alone." She said, mildly irritated. "Anyways, I'm sure we can keep him away from Ryan during rehearsal, except for when they have scenes together. How Chad got a speaking roll is beyond me. He didn't even _audition._" She said angrily, walking off. Ryan, for once, didn't follow her. He just stared at the callback list, mouth open slightly. Taylor patted him on the back sympathetically, and Gabriella just stood there.

"Well, this is going to blow up in flames."

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That day at callbacks, Ryan made sure to keep as far away as he could from Chad Danforth. He didn't even know how Chad Danforth got into the musical when he wasn't at auditions, when Mrs. Darbus hated him, and when he hated anything that sang or danced. It was a bit like Troy coming into the musical last year, except even scarier, since it was Chad.

After the roles had been decided, with Ryan as Jean Valjean, Troy as Marius, Sharpay as Eponine, Gabriella as Cosette, and Chad as Javert, Ryan made to leave the auditorium as quickly as possible, without even waiting for his sister.

"Hey. What's the hurry?" Ryan froze, and turned around in something akin to slow motion.

Chad Danforth was leaning against the wall outside the auditorium, his arms crossed. His grin was plastered on his face, but it looked a bit forced, and he was obviously nervous.

"What?" Ryan snapped, a bit more harshly than he intended. Chad flinched, as if Ryan had punched him.

"I was just wondering if you had found your center." He said, placing his hand on Ryan's stomach. He was careful to use the word 'center' and not 'middle'. His efforts were lost on Ryan, however.

The blonde shuddered, a bestial instinct of pure lust running through him as Chad placed a hand on his stomach. He shook his head, pushing Chad away from him, against the wall. "What are you playing at?" He spat angrily. "I thought you didn't like touching me, remember?" He looked away bitterly.

"And if I said I liked you?" Chad said, hypothetically, of course, because he was _not_ gay, no matter what anyone said, or how his hormones behaved.

"I'd say I was going to get Sharpay to slap you once again."

Chad instantly cast his gaze downwards. "Ryan-I'm really, really, _really_ sorry about what I said." He began, but Ryan silence him by holding up a hand.

"And I really, really, _really_ don't want to hear it." He said, lying through his teeth. "I guess I'll see you at rehearsals." And with that, he jammed his hands into his pockets and walked away, leaving a dejected Chad staring after him like a lost puppy.

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The next morning, Chad was glumly organizing his books in his locker, when a force coming from behind slammed his head forward into his Spanish textbook.

"Ow!" He complained, whirling around to see a hand coming at him from the side. He clasped his recently slapped cheek, and turned once again to face a glowering Sharpay. He winced. This couldn't bode well.

"I thought I told you to leave my brother _alone_. I would think that a two syllable word is in your vocabulary, Danforth, but I've learned not to overestimate you. So I'll break it down. No more Ryan. Got it?" She snarled nastily.

"But-I just wanted!" He began helplessly, but only received another slap.

"And Ryan just wanted a friend who'd accept him even if he was gay!" Sharpay growled. "I guess we've learned we all can't get what we want, can we?" Now here was a great example of the pot calling the kettle black, but Chad didn't think now was the best time to point out that Sharpay was the most spoiled person he'd ever met.

"Now, if you come near my brother, I will take the pleasure of hitting you somewhere so you won't be as likely as to forget the lesson next time." She hinted darkly, walking down the hallway like a princess.

"Ice Princess." He muttered, rubbing his now red cheek. "How am I ever going to win Ryan back with her around?"

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"Chad." The boy winced, expecting another slap, as he turned around. But this time it was only Troy.

"Hi Troy."

Troy looked Chad over. "You look awful."

"Thank you. You really know how to compliment a person." Chad said sarcastically, not in the mood to discuss much right now.

"Things not working out with your apology?" Troy said dryly. Chad merely scowled in response. "I'll help, if you want." He offered.

"Are you suicidal?" Chad asked, raising his eyebrows at his best friend.

"I have Sharpay's permission to talk to you." Troy clarified this, so Chad wouldn't worry for his friend's life. "She said I was too loyal to you for her to really expect me to stay away for too long."

"Oh." Chad merely shrugged. "Why would I need help? I'm sure the fuss will die in a few weeks, and then I'll just apologize to Ryan, and it'll all be good."

"And what about your crush on Ryan?"

"Shut up, Bolton. I don't have a crush on Ryan. Straight, remember?" He said, chucking his English notebook at his best friend, who caught it.

"Sure. You keep telling yourself that." He said with an evil grin. His face then sobered. "But I'm not sure if it'll blow over. Ry's really hurt, Chad. He's not even like, mad at you, he just doesn't want to see you anymore."

Chad bit his lip. "I know I screwed up. But I can make this right."

Troy looked at him doubtful. "Whatever you say. Oh- by the way, maybe you should start wearing pink, just so you can inform the school about your sexuality in a colour that Ryan loves."

Chad scowled. He was _not_ gay! But then again, wearing pink for Ryan wasn't that bad of an idea…

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

Sharpay stamped her foot so hard that it took a chip out of the floor. Taylor winced as her girlfriend agitatedly paced up and down the room, calling Chad anything she could think of. "A puffed up, son of a bitch with no respect for anyone but himself, whose ego is so big it'd cushion him if I ever decided to push him off a building!" She growled, waving her hands dramatically.

Taylor sighed. She was sitting on the teacher's desk in an empty classroom. "I'm upset too, Pookie, but just come here and sit with me." She implored, patting the space next to her.

Sharpay raised her eyes. "Excuse me, Miss Rent Fan, if we were in a relationship, I'd so be Maureen." She said, grinning. Taylor had affectedly stopped her rant by bringing up a reference to the musical they had seen together last weekend. Sharpay had bought the tickets, and brought Taylor to New York to see the musical for her birthday. She went over to the darker girl and sat with her. "But…uh! Chad doesn't even know what Ryan is going though. Can't he just leave my brother along as I demanded? No, he has to go and join the _musical. _As Javert, who is Ryan's characters _enemy_. Could he spell out 'homophobic' any more clearly?" She snarled

"I don't think Chad can spell homophobic at all." Taylor put in, taking the sentence literally. "There are too many letters in it. But I see your point. Do you want me to talk with him?"

Sharpay shook her head. "I think the best course of action is to keep on ignoring him." She said.

"Well, what about what Ryan thinks?" Taylor asked, concerned that Ryan actually did want to speak to Chad, but was too afraid of his sister to go ahead and do it.

"Ryan doesn't know what he wants. If he did, he'd never have fallen for a guy with hair that big." Sharpay said exasperatedly. Taylor chuckled, and pulled Sharpay into a kiss.

"Relax, Pookie." She teased, putting a finger on Sharpay's nose. "It'll turn out for the best. You'll see."

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

Troy went down to the cafeteria during lunch to look for Chad. He found him in his secluded corner under the balcony. But his friend wasn't even eating. In fact, Chad didn't even have a tray. He just sat in the plastic red chair. Troy walked over, and then jumped as Chad slammed his head forward into the wall.

"Dude!" Troy yelped in shock, but Chad didn't notice. He just slammed his head into the wall again. "How long have you been doing that?" Troy asked, alarmed. Chad's hair cushioned most of the impact, but _still_. Chad was dim witted enough already!

"Couple of minutes." Was his cool reply. Troy grabbed him friend, and pulled his friend out of the cafeteria.

"What is _up_ with you?" Troy asked angrily, worried for his friend's mental health.

"I'm physic, and I want to get rid of my mind powers." Chad explained. Troy just looked very confused. Even for Chad, that was a really odd thing to say. Troy was beginning to think his friend had lost his mind.

"Do you mean, like, you can hear voices?" Troy said slowly, backing away just a few steps in case his best friend pulled out an axe and came running after him, like in _The Shining._

Chad rolled his eyes. "_No_. I mean I can feel it when Ryan's around me, and I don't even have to see him to know. I get like, this_ itching_ on the back of my neck, and it's irritating me like crazy." To emphasize his point, he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's like in that weird movie, _Sixth Sense, _you know? Like I have ESPN or something."

Troy rolled his eyes. "Chad, I think you're confusing itching with seeing dead people, physics with psychic, ESPN with ESP, and mind reading with love." He said, explaining these concepts to his best friend.

"Oh, right- wait a second! What do you mean, love?" Chad said, glaring at his friend. He really wanted Troy to _drop_ that subject. "Straight, remember?" He said, pointing to himself.

Troy rolled his eyes. "Straight as a circle." He muttered. "And I know, because I always know when Gabriella's around. So you _obviously_ feel connected to Ryan." Troy explained. "Why not just admit that you like him? I know, you know. So what's the harm?"

Chad merely shook his head. "You're insane. I'm not gay." He shrugged. "I've got to go…er…do…stuff!" He said enthusiastically. "Important stuff! Bye Troy!" He said, running off.

Troy watched him, shaking his head. "I'm beginning to think that hair cuts off the air supply to his brain. Seriously, he's afraid to come out of the closet, but he _isn't_ afraid to go around with that hairstyle? He's nuts."

**A/N pt. 2: **I got a livejournal. –cackles- So now I'm busy making icons and all that jazz. It's très fun. And I have absolutely _no_ idea what I'm doing.


	8. A Boy Like That

**A/N: **So tired…I had a nightmare about the scariest thing in the world…cockroaches :( So I couldn't go back to sleep, and it was 6:50 am, and I'm exhausted. So there may be a couple of mistakes in this. Please bear with me.

By the way, does anyone have any good Chyan images I could use to make icons? I've rekindled my love of making icons.

And I saw the movie of Hair last night, and it was _awful_. The butchered up the stage version so badly. It made me furious.

**In My Life**

Chapter Eight

Chad scowled. It had been _a whole week_ since he had last talked to Ryan at the callbacks. Surely Ryan could forgive him by now. So, taking Troy's advice, Chad had gone to desperate measures. He'd never live this down, though, and he wasn't even sure that doing this would be worth it, even if Ryan _did_ forgive him.

A group of girls passed by him and began giggling. Chad glared darkly at them. They were cheerleaders- he couldn't damage his reputation any more by insulting a cheerleader. He scowled, holding back his humiliation. Ryan better forgive him, or he might just dump the blonde into a garbage can. Not that it would help Ryan forgive him, but it'd at least be a good conversation starter, right?

The subject of his thoughts, and his devil sister, walked into East High at that very moment. When they saw Chad, their jaws dropped, and Sharpay went right up to the boy and slapped him.

"Ow!" Chad complained. At this rate, his cheek would never heal. A permanent bruise would stand there, a monument to Sharpay Evans' wrath. "What was that_ for?_" He asked, rubbing his stinging cheek.

"For wearing _our_ color, Danforth." She snapped, her eyes cold. "Not to mention you're obviously wearing pink to make fun of Ryan. Do you think it makes him less of a man to wear it? Because we women happen to think _real_ men wear pink! So don't think you can parody him, because I won't stand for that!"

"No- Sharpay- you don't understand-" Chad began, but was cut off by another slap.

"I don't want to hear it! Now, for the last time, leave Ryan _alone_." She walked off to her brother, who had turned red and was looking away pointedly. As Sharpay tried to console him, Chad looked down at the floor, tears brimming in his eyes.

No. Chad Danforth did _not_ cry. He also wasn't gay, even if he did wear pink, and he seemed to be infatuated with Ryan, who was the biggest homosexual in the school. He'd just like to throw that in there.

"I am really going to get Troy. Wear Ryan's favorite color? Great advice. I'll remember to never take his advice again." He sighed, bringing a hand to wipe away the stray tear that had fallen. "I wish I could talk to Taylor. I know she could help."

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

"Taylor?" There was only silence in return. "Taylor…" Still no response. "TAYLOR!" Chad yelled, fed up with being ignored all the time. So he had made _one mistake_. So had everyone else! He didn't stop talking to people when they insulted him, which was far too often.

"What?" She snapped, finally responding by looking up at her ex friend, and ex-ex boyfriend. She finally saw Chad's clothes. "Danforth, what in the world are you wearing?" She snapped, her eyes burning from all the hot pink.

"Don't even ask about the outfit. Taylor, I need help. Please?" He begged, turning on the puppy face, which she used to find irresistible, before the incident.

"_No, _Danforth." She said harshly, shutting him down. "I'm angry at you, remember?"

"But it's _important_." Chad went down on his knees, hands clasped together in front of his chest. "Really important. _Please, please, __**please?**_"

"Ugh. Fine, I'll listen, but only if you promise to leave me alone after this." She said, crossing her legs.

Chad glanced around the room, making sure it was empty, before he continued. "I don't know what to do! I didn't _mean_ to call Ryan that, I mean, I love Ryan! In a totally plankton way, I mean." He corrected himself, but this only made Taylor raise her eyebrows.

"Chad, do you mean platonic?" Taylor asked testily, but her anger with him was subsiding. She had even switched to his first name.

"Yea, that's what I meant." He said distractedly. "It's just…you all were teasing me about my sexuality. And it's just, I'm not _confident_ about it…anymore. I just…don't know what's going on, or something. Because _I'm not gay._ But you all got on me about it, and then Ryan joked about me being his boyfriend, and I just _snapped_. I didn't mean to, and I felt awful instantly, but now he just won't listen when I try to apologize." Chad finished glumly.

Taylor listened to all of this with an odd expression on her face. "So back up. You're gay?"

"_No."_ Chad said angrily, grabbing his hair. "I'm straight? I just have a hopeless infatuation with _Ryan_." He said, biting his lip. He hoped Taylor could keep a secret. Because this stupid crush would go away in a few days, and it'd all be over.

"What?" Taylor stood up, and slapped him. "Chad, you are a _moron_." And with that, she walked out of the room in a huff.

"What was _that_ about?" Chad said, wincing. "I swear, she gets more like Sharpay every time I see her."

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

Taylor grabbed Troy Bolton, swinging him into the empty classroom and slamming the door shut. "Did you know?" She hissed lividly.

Of course, Troy had no idea what was happened. "Er, do you think you could expand that sentence just a teeny bit?"

"About Chad. And Ryan."

"Oh, you mean the fact Chad is so totally into Ryan, but he's in complete denial?" Troy said, not believing that Chad had told Taylor, of all people. He wouldn't even admit it to Troy!

"Exactly! And then he goes and breaks Ryan's heart? How idiotic can he get?" Taylor snapped.

"Wait- What's that? He broke Ryan's heart?" Troy asked curiously. He hadn't heard about _that_.

Taylor looked horrified at what she had just slipped out. "Oh god. Sharpay's going to _murder_ me."

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

At rehearsal that day, Sharpay had lectured Taylor (lectured meaning yelled at) for telling Troy Bolton that her precious little Ry had a crush on that awful Chad Danforth, and how Troy obviously wouldn't be able to keep that from Chad. Taylor winced, and focused on not covering her ears, which would only make her girlfriend even more furious. Ryan, thankfully, was late for rehearsal, and didn't hear this argument- he might've fainted if he knew that Troy knew of his crush.

Obviously, during rehearsal, the Wildcats forced Chad to sit on the other side of the auditorium. He had no scenes with Ryan, thankfully, so the whole rehearsal passed without incident after Sharpay made up with Taylor.

They rehearsed Eponine's Errand, and Ryan couldn't help but find the irony of the situation funny. It was just like real life- or how real life used to be. Sharpay in love with Troy, but Troy only having eyes for Gabriella.

And it included him and Chad as well. Their characters were bitter enemies, with Jean Valjean as an ex criminal, and Chad as Javert, the inspector who had sworn a vow that he would find Jean Valjean and arrest him once again.

He felt his heart wrench at the thought of Chad. He thought the jock looked delightfully delicious in all that pink, but he couldn't voice his thoughts, and even more, he couldn't stop this fatal attraction to the boy. He didn't want to like the unattainable Chad Danforth.

But at one time, he had felt that it wasn't so impossible. Like the time Chad had called Ryan drop dead gorgeous. Ryan had warned himself not to get his hopes up, and that it meant nothing. But he had, and he had felt that Chad would never do anything to hurt him. How very wrong Ryan could be.

Then it was brought to his attention (Sharpay jabbed him in the ribs) that he had to rehearse the scene for _What Have I Done?_ And so he reluctantly got on the stage, aware of Chad's eyes burning into him every second. And so he sang with less enthusiasm then usual, and he just stood still, not bothering to throw in any dramatic movements into the number.

As he got off, Sharpay ran over to him. "Ry, are you alright?" Her eyes revealed her worry for her brother. She fussed over him all the time nowadays. It was amazing how selfless she could be at times. She was the glue holding the broken bits off Ryan together. But he was still fragile, and so weak and helpless at times. He had never felt less like an Evans in his life. Sometimes he felt it would be better to give in and just sob to the world, but he was an Evans, and they did not show weakness.

So he merely shook his head. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired." He replied, adjusting his hat on his blonde hair. Sharpay glanced at him critically, as if measuring him up.

"Well…alright. Do you want to come with me, Taylor, and Troy and Gabriella after this rehearsal to a restaurant? We'd thought it'd be fun to just hang out."

"Yea, alright." It would be a good way to get his mind off of Chad. "Where are we going to eat?" He asked, trying to think of what foods would cheer him up after basking in the jock's presence for so long (it didn't matter that Chad was across the auditorium, Ryan could still sense him). He began to think stuffing himself with fries and other greasy fast food would be the way to go. It was always comforting to shove away your sorrows by downing food, and to close up all access to your heart with cholesterol.

"We haven't decided yet. But you can choose where we'll go." Sharpay said, trying to cheer her brother up. He couldn't hide his distress from her. Ryan merely nodded, and sat back down, trying to focus upon Troy and Gabriella, who were rehearsing _A Heart Full of Love._ "Shouldn't you be in this number?"

"We'll add my part in later, once those two are comfortable with the song." Sharpay explained, sitting with him. "Don't worry too much, Ry. You'll get frown marks."

He merely scowled and crossed his arms, trying to shut out the world.

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

However, after rehearsal, as everyone departed, Ryan had the unfortunate honor of helping Mrs. Darbus clear up the stage. He left, planning to catch up with the others, when two strong, firm hands grabbed his shoulders and spun him around.

"Ryan."

"Danforth."

The silence stretched on for a while, before Chad couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry."

"I told you I don't want to hear it."

"But I want to say it…"

Chad didn't know what to do. Ryan wasn't responding to his efforts. Maybe it was time to take on a different approach.

"You really are a drama geek, Evans."

"Huh?"

"I mean, who sulks for a week after someone insulted them _once_. I didn't even mean to say it, and I've been apologizing for it like crazy. I mean, look at what I'm wearing for you!"

Ryan bit his lip. He couldn't bring himself to say that if Chad wanted to do something for him, he wouldn't be wearing clothes at all. Instead, he responded with a taunt.

"I'd rather be a drama geek then a basketball jock."

"I'd rather be a jock then a dancer."

"Idiot."

"Know-it-all"

"Homophobic." Ryan spat.

"Huh?" Taylor had been right, Chad didn't have the slightest clue what the word meant.

Ryan rolled his eyes, and didn't bother explaining. "You know…you may be an idiotic jock…but it isn't fair that you look so good in my color." And he pressed his lips to Chad's cheekbone so softly it couldn't really be considered a kiss. And with that, he left the auditorium, leaving a very confused, flattered, and blushing Chad in his wake.

**A/N pt. 2**: I promise I'll cheer up this story with fluff and love later. For now, I'll enjoy destroying Chad's world. –cackles-.


	9. I Dreamed A Dream

**A/N: **I slipped in a little TSL reference into this chapter, just because I saw an episode and because I know some of you are TSL fans. So the reference is for you all :)

And thanks to a fan fiction, I now have Anything You Can Do stuck in my head. Arrrgh. –slams head onto desk-. The part where they try to 'sing sweeter' gets me laughing every time. I need a dose of Miss Saigon to get the song out of my brain.

Also, I really need a beta. Anyone interested? Every time I go back and read a chapter to remind myself what I've been writing, it's littered with mistakes. So yes, I'd be **extremely **grateful for a beta. And if you volunteered, you'd get to see previews of the story, right?

Disclaimer: I own everything. I invented them on the same day I invented the space shuttle, microwave popcorn, and scored 41 points on a league championship game,

**In My Life**

Chapter Nine

Chad pressed his palm against his cheek- and this time it wasn't because anyone had slapped him. Did Ryan Evans just kiss him, and then leave without a word? Or was it all a hallucination? With all the thinking Chad had been doing these days, he wouldn't be surprised if his mind had completely packed up and left because of stress issues.

Was this the first step to redemption? Chad certainly hoped so. Was Ryan's kiss a sign of forgiveness? A signal that they could go back to being friends, and pretend like nothing had happened in the first place? Chad really would've liked that. A grin on his face that hadn't been there in a week slowly reappeared, and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pink jeans (he had stayed up all night dying them), and left the school, whistling.

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

The next day, Troy was walking to school (his truck had broken down _again_) when his forearm was grabbed and he was pulled into a secluded alleyway. Troy let out a yell of surprise, when a hand covered his mouth. Troy got a glimpse of his attacker- they were wearing a hooded jacket that hid their face, and huge sunglasses. _He doesn't know who he's trying to mug._ Troy was about to show his strength and kick the mugger's ass when a familiar voice hissed, "Can't you stop struggling?"

Troy indeed stopped struggling, but only for a second. He moved the hand away from his mouth. "Chad?" He asked, not sure if his best friend had a reason for this, or if he had just finally cracked and become a serial killer.

"Yes. Now be quiet." He let go of Troy, who whirled around to face his friend.

"Have you gone _insane_?" Troy hissed quietly, taking in his best friend's outfit. If it weren't for the voice, he wouldn't have recognized his friend. His face was completely shadowed by the hood on his jacket, and what little of his face that could be seen was covered by the huge shades.

"No." Chad sounded sullen. "I need to show you something…but it has to be in private. And you have to promise not to laugh, k?"

"What? Is it a huge hickey from Ryan?" Troy said, snickering.

"Worse. And I'm straight. My feelings for Ryan are totally plutonic." Chad said grumpily.

"Platonic, you mean." Troy supplied. Chad merely rolled his eyes. "Now, what do you want to show me?"

Chad looked around fervently, and pulled off his hood. Troy gasped in horror. Chad's fro had been tied in a ponytail, and it was…

"PINK?!" Troy said, collapsing into laughter. Chad growled, and pulled his hood back on quickly.

"Shut _up_ Bolton. This is your fault." Chad accused, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Chad, when I told you that you should go pink to gain Ryan's approval, I didn't think you'd go that far." Troy said, wiping a tear of laughter off his cheek.

"I didn't do it!" Chad exclaimed angrily. "It wasn't me!"

"Then what happened?"

Chad sighed deeply. "Well…after rehearsal, I cornered Ryan. We talked, and he kissed me."

Troy's eyes widened slightly, and Chad quickly corrected himself. "I mean, on the cheek. Straight, remember? Anyways, I got home a few hours later, because I wanted to take a walk, to get some fresh air, or something." He took a deep breath. "Anyways, I got home and took a shower, and washed my hair. And when I got out, my hair was like this."

Troy chuckled, and Chad shot a death glare that matched one of Sharpay's.

"My mom told me that Sharpay had dropped by, and given us new shampoo as a gift." Chad's scowl deepened. "Apparently, she _loves_ Sharpay, because of their theatre obsessions, and believes it was all a misunderstanding, and Sharpay _accidentally_ gave me pink hair dye instead of shampoo."

Troy had been trying very hard not to laugh throughout this. Suddenly, Chad's cell phone rang, and he whipped his phone out of his pocket, reading the newly received text message. He hissed, and handed his phone over to Troy. An unknown number had sent this:

_Since you liked wearing out color so much yesterday, I thought it'd be nice for your hair to match your outfit._

_Tootles!_

Troy laughed as he handed Chad his phone back. "So what are you going to do?" Chad shrugged.

"Deal with it? I don't know yet. This is just so complicated." 

"You should tell Ryan how you feel."

"Straight!"

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

As Chad sat in his secluded corner for lunch, he kept banging his head against the wall. His head was in the gay, and he needed to get it out of there. "Girls. Ryan. Girls. Ryan." He alternated these two between every head smash against the wall. "Ryan. Ryan. Ryan." He groaned. Falling in love sucked more than Jason's singing.

And since he was too absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't notice a blonde coming up behind him, and he didn't see her until she had unzipped his hood off, and gotten his arm in her death grip. He yelled as she dragged him into the middle of the cafeteria, where his hot pink hair was exposed to everyone. And instantly, he was the center of attention, and the source of laughter that rang from every corner of the cafeteria.

"Sharpay!" Chad frowned. That voice wasn't his…that voice was…_Ryan's._ "Sharpay, leave him alone!" Ryan said, coming up to his sister and Chad, hands on his hips. "I appreciate what you're trying to do to him for me, but it isn't necessary. This is way too low for you."

Sharpay looked taken aback for a second. "But- Ryan, this is Danforth! Do you remember what he did to you?"

"I remember quite clearly." Ryan's voice was cool. "But I can handle him myself, Shar." His decision was final; his tone indicated he was not to be messed with. Sharpay let go of Chad's arm instantly.

"If you say so, Ry." She said uncertainly, leaving the two boys in the middle of the cafeteria.

"Here." Ryan chucked Chad's hood back at him. He caught it; basketball had honed his reflexes well.

"Thanks." He muttered, blushing. He couldn't believe it was Ryan who had gotten him out of the situation. He also couldn't forget what had happened last time there were face to face.

"Don't thank me. I don't need you in my debt." Ryan said coldly, walking away. Chad's face fell, and he whipped his hood back on. He guessed he hadn't been forgiven, after all.

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Chad ducked his head as he walked through the hallway. He didn't want anyone seeing him sneaking about and following him. He needed another favor from the last teacher he had asked a favor from. Not that Chad usually asked teachers for favors, but the situation was desperate, bordering on perilous. He had no doubt Sharpay would be arranging his death if he didn't do something soon.

And if she did, Chad had no doubt his funeral would be poorly attended. One thing was certain; the Evans twins wouldn't be there to give his soul blessings or to lay flowers on his grave.

Flowers. Did Ryan like flowers? Would he forgive Chad if he turned up on the doorstep of Ryan's mansion holding a bouquet? But that hardly seemed like a plasmatic (or platonic) gift, and Chad would like to remind everyone who could hear his thoughts (or who happened to be reading this) that he was straight.

No, desperate times called for desperate measures. He sighed, and opened the door. "Mrs. Darbus? I need to ask you for something."

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"I don't see how Ryan stands wearing pink so much. I wore it for _one day_ yesterday, and the girls were all over me, giggling and flirting and whatnot. It was horrible."

"Maybe they don't do that to Ryan because they know he's gay. If you came out of the closet, you wouldn't have that problem either. And you could wear pink as often as you wanted." 

"**Straight! Straightstaightstraight!**"

"If you say so, Cleopatra."

"Huh?"

"Queen of Denial."

"I don't get it."

Troy heaved an exaggerated sigh. "I should've known that you wouldn't. It's completely my fault, for creating a pun that requires some knowledge of Egypt's history to understand."

Chad punched his best friend in the arm. "I'm telling you, I'm straight." 

"Whatever. I suppose it doesn't make much difference. Shar says that after all you've done, Ryan wouldn't give you the time of day."

Chad looked seriously puzzled. "Why would I ask him what time it is?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "You got me." He said sarcastically. Chad's lack of knowledge of sayings got on one's nerves at times. Especially when he was being stubborn- it only caused him to act even more idiotic, if that were possible.

"You know you have a private rehearsal with Ryan after school today, don't you?" Troy asked suspiciously. Chad merely nodded. "I find that incredibly funny; since none of the rest of the cast has closed rehearsals for another two weeks, and the only pair that has it are you and Ryan." He got no reply; Chad had fallen into silence. "Chad, did you sabotage the rehearsal schedule?"

"No!" Was Chad's indignant reply. "I just talked to Mrs. Darbus."

Troy's eyebrows disappeared into his hair. "You talked to her and convinced her to do you a favor? Is the world going topsy turvy, or should I just go to a church and beg forgiveness for my sins right now?"

Chad just shrugged. "She wasn't doing it for me. Apparently, she says that she wants Ryan to be happy, and if this is the way to make it happen, she'll indulge my selfish requests to change the schedule to suit my will. Whatever that means." 

"It means you're gay." 

"Shut up Bolton!"

"I'm serious. I think she wants you to hook up with Ryan to cheer him up." Chad snorted. "It could happen. You obviously like him." Chad flipped Troy off, but it had no effect. "Very mature of you, Danforth. When will you just give in?"

"When _you_ break up with Gabriella."

Troy groaned. "Fine." He said, dropping the subject entirely. Well- almost entirely. "Gay." He muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Chad asked threateningly.

"Nothing."

**A/N pt 2: **Don't ask about Chad's head being 'in the gay'. When my friends and I first saw HSM, we swore that was what they were singing, 'get your head in the gay.'

Once again, **I really need a beta. If anyone is interested, please PM me. **The person shall be showered with adoration and love and brownies! Plus, I'll dedicate stories to them :o

-scowls- I am most unhappy with the lack of new Chyan stories and updates :( I have no more Chyan to read!


	10. So Much Better

**A/N: **I'm so proud :) My other fiction (I Should Tell You) got nominated for the slash awards! It probably won't win, but at least it's cool to be nominated, right?

P.s. - This chapter is dedicated to my new beta, xIreth.

Thanks to everyone else who offered, though! I got way more offers than I expected, I'm sorry I couldn't accept all offers! My love goes out to all of you!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, it'd be rated R.

**In My Life**

Chapter Ten

Life was just plain irritating at this point. With no one talking to him, Chad got impatient with everyone, but mostly himself. Alright, maybe Troy did talk to him, but every other word that came out of Troy's mouth was 'gay' and that was really starting to irritate Chad. A small part of himself knew, and accepted, the fact that the way he thought about Ryan was not straight, but the rest of him screamed rejection at the thought he might be gay.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that as soon as the bell rang, he shot off like a bird from Hermione Granger's wand and went home, so Troy couldn't corner him and try to force him to admit his sexuality.

Of course, he had to endure all the snide comments about his pink hair as he tried to get through the other students in the hallway, but soon he was locked away in his house, and the first thing he did was go to the sink. He began scrubbing his hair, hoping the pink dye would wash off. Parts of his hair started turning back to normal, but now it just looked as if he had pink highlights.

He sighed, but decided it was better than being entirely pink haired. He turned off the steady flow of water from the tap and began searching for his hairdryer. Once he found it, he turned it on full blast- it took a lot of hot air to dry his hair.

Chad exited the bathroom and went up to his room, switching on his computer and getting on AIM. Maybe he should get advice from complete strangers; it seemed like a good idea as they were a third party and what he did didn't really affect them.

Sighing, he entered a random chat room, contemplating what to say. Finally, he just decided to be blunt to these strangers. Very blunt.

Slowly, he typed in a sentence.

Bballboy545: i think i'm gay and have a crush on my friend.

Instantly, there were typical replies calling him a fag, a queer, a pillow biter, and all sorts of negative names. There were almost no positive replies, except for one that caught Chad's attention.

ALittleFallOfRain: Hey, if you like him, just tell him. Even if he doesn't like you back, he's your friend, and probably won't think any less of you. It'll be a lot easier just to get the weight off your shoulders. And there isn't anything wrong with being gay.

As soon as that post was entered, everyone harassed the girl who wrote it. At least Chad thought a girl wrote it; after all, what boy (besides Ryan) would base their name around a song from Les Mis while using proper grammar?

He sighed, and logged of his computer without another word. And that was when he realized he was _very _late to his private rehearsal with Ryan.

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

"Private rehearsal." Ryan said glumly, looking at the rehearsal list on the bulletin board.

"Cheer up Ry. It won't be that bad. At least you can laugh at his singing; I'm sure it'll be terrible." Sharpay said cheerfully, trying to pick up her brother's spirits. When that failed, she dropped her false smile. "Come on, Ry. I mean, you'll only have to sing with him for a little and then you can leave. You don't even have to talk to him, if you don't want to."

Ryan just shrugged. "Whatever." He muttered sullenly, jamming his hands into his pockets. "Nothing I can do about it anyway."

IMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIMLIML

"I can't believe I'm being stood up at a _rehearsal_." Ran muttered to himself as he sat in the auditorium, with only Mrs. Darbus in the room. Chad didn't even bother turning up for their private rehearsal. It was quite offending, really, but at least this meant Ryan wouldn't have to talk to the bastard.

"I'm sure Mr. Danforth will show up any minute." Mrs. Darbus' voice rang out from the stage, where she was admiring the background they had painted over numerous detentions. "Mr. Evans, if you don't mind, while we are waiting I am going to get some coffee. Wait here until Mr. Danforth comes, and when he does, practice with him until I get back!" And with that, she exited the room grandly.

"Great." Ryan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I'm stuck here alone, waiting for a moron who probably won't show up anyways." He sighed.

Ten minutes later, there was still no sign of Chad. Ryan wanted to just leave, but he couldn't. Mrs. Darbus would kill him if she got back and he wasn't here.

"God!" He stood up and got on the stage, pacing back and forth. "That idiot! First he insults me! Then he pretends to go and be all sorry about it! Then he steals my color! And now he's standing me up in rehearsal! That idiot! I hate him! I don't know why I still even bother with him. He's an idiotic low life who looks like he lets a porcupine live in his hair style!"

"I'm not that bad…am I?" Chad's voice said meekly. Ryan whipped around to see the boy standing there, rubbing the back of his neck and looking thoroughly uncomfortable. And Ryan couldn't keep his temper in check.

"Yes! Yes you are!" He said angrily. "Now get up here! We have to rehearse. I've been waiting for you forever."

Chad looked ashamed of himself, but Ryan was too angry to notice. He got on the stage and held up his script. "So…what should we sing?" He asked nervously.

"Let's just start with the beginning song." Ryan snapped. "I want to get this over as quickly as possible, Danforth." Chad noticeably flinched at these words, but Ryan was feeling sadistic right now, and didn't care how much he hurt Chad.

"Alright." Chad said, and began singing his first line during the opening song. At first, he was shy, and his voice was weak, but as he got into it more, his voice strengthened, and he actually sounded pretty good.

"_Now bring me prisoner 24601  
Your time is up  
And your parole's begun  
You know what that means."_

Ryan scowled: he couldn't believe he was working with such an amateur. Of course, if he wasn't disappointed, hurt, and angry with Chad, he would've been ecstatic that his friend- well, ex friend- was getting interested in the theatre. He'd probably have offered Chad singing lessons. But he merely rolled his eyes as they went on with the song.

_**Yes, it means I'm free.**___

No!  
It means you get  
Your yellow ticket-of-leave  
You are a thief

_**I stole a loaf of bread.  
**___

You robbed a house.  
_**  
I broke a window pane.  
My sister's child was close to death  
And we were starving.**___

You will starve again  
Unless you learn the meaning of the law.  


_**I know the meaning of those 19 years  
A slave of the law  
**__  
Five years for what you did  
The rest because you tried to run  
Yes, 24601._

_**My name is Jean Valjean**_

Chad had almost completely gotten into character now, and the song was flowing along quite smoothly. That was, everything was going fine until he sang his next line.

_And I am Javert_

He stared down at his script in amazement. Ryan raised his eyebrows at Chad, wondering why he had stopped in the middle of his line.

All of a sudden, Chad began to laugh hysterically, causing Ryan to take a step away from him, looking at him as if he had lost his mind. Which he most likely had.

"Um, Danforth? Could you please not have a mental breakdown on my watch?" Ryan asked coldly.

Chad merely chuckled- it seemed so funny that here he was with Ryan, saying the first musical reference that Ryan had ever mentioned to him. It seemed so…unlikely.

"Come here, you little drama geek." He said affectionately.

"_What?_" Ryan asked, askance. Did Chad really just call him a drama geek? Did he want Sharpay to slap him again?

"I said, come here, you little drama geek." Ryan didn't do as he asked, since he was rooted to the stage in shock. Chad sighed in exasperation, and tackled Ryan, pinning the boy underneath him, and straddling him to make sure he couldn't escape.

"What the-" Ryan didn't get to express his confusion because Chad instantly covered the blonde's mouth with his own, shutting Ryan up effectively. Chad's tongue invaded Ryan's mouth, as the slimmer boy looked up at Chad with scared eyes, too afraid to move.

When Chad pulled away, Ryan scrambled away until he was far enough that Chad wouldn't be able to pounce on him again. They both were on the floor, panting, their lips slightly puffed.

"What the _hell?_" Ryan asked, wiping a sleeve across his mouth. "What did you do that for?"

Chad was startled. He assumed that Ryan had kissed him at Zeke's party, so obviously the blonde wanted him. Why was he acting so upset? "Don't ask me, you kissed me first!" 

"You mean yesterday? That wasn't even a kiss! That was a brush on the cheek!" Ryan exclaimed indignantly, gazing at Chad furiously.

"I didn't mean then! I mean when you made out with me at Zeke's party! Or did you think I'd be too drunk to remember?" Chad accused.

Ryan just stared at the darker boy for a few moments, before he found that it was his turn to break into hysterical laughter. "What? Did you seriously think you were making out with me?" He asked between giggles.

"Wasn't it?" Now Chad was confused. "So who was it? Sharpay? All I know was that it was blonde and pink!"

Ryan was laughing so hard tears had sprung up into his blue eyes. "No…not Sharpay." He said, still chortling. "Chad, you were making out with Zeke's _pillow_. You know, the horrible pink ones with bright yellow stripes?" And with that explanation, he fell back into helpless laughter.

"You're kidding!" When Ryan didn't reply, but kept laughing, he pulled a face at the boy. "Well, at least the pillow is a better kisser then you are!" This only made Ryan giggle harder.

When the blond had finally calmed down and caught his breath, he turned to see Chad staring at him with confusion. "What is it?" 

"So you're telling me…I had a sexual identity crisis for nothing?" 

"You had a sexual identity crisis?" Ryan asked, surprised. He knew Chad had been acting weird lately, but he didn't think it was anything that serious. He thought Chad was just being a typical teenager: full of angst.

"I guess I did…" The bigger boy trailed off, looking at the floor. He scooted closer to Ryan, afraid to look the boy in the eyes. "So…are you still mad at me?"

"I don't know?" Ryan said uncertainly. "I mean, what you said hurt me Chad." 

"I know. I'm really _really_ sorry." Chad said, biting his lip. Then something occurred to him, and he met Ryan's gaze, grinning. "You called me Chad?"

"What?"

"You didn't call me Danforth. You called me Chad again!" Chad said triumphantly.

"I guess I did?" Ryan said uncertainly, not understanding why on earth that would make Chad so happy. Just because he had called him 'Chad' didn't mean he had completely forgiven the boy.

Chad scooted even closer to Ryan. "So…?" 

"So what?" Ryan asked, for the first time being the confused one in a situation with Chad Danforth.

Chad reached his hand for Ryan's cheek. "May I?" When Ryan gave a slight nod, Chad brought his lips to Ryan's own, kissing him softly this time. There was less fire, but it was sweeter, more experimental, to see if the other really had feelings for him.

As Ryan pulled back, a dazed looked in his blue eyes, Chad couldn't help but protest. "Not gay." He muttered, blushing when Ryan gave him a quizzical look.

"It's you doing the kissing, Mr. Danforth." He stated, quirking his eyebrow in an adorable way.

This caused Chad to pause for a second to think. "Well…maybe just gay for you then." He said, before drawing Ryan into another kiss.

**A/N:** There's the happy ending you've all been waiting for. Though the story hasn't ended yet. Next chapter will be Taypay, Chyan, and such and so.


End file.
